Love Amongst the Stars
by surrender-your-writing
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is the only heir to the Heartfilia line and is being forced into a marriage with someone she's never met. With her mother having passed away from cancer, the only thing Lucy has left to hold on to is Layla's love of astrology. Then one day, Lucy finds out a circus known as Fairy Tail is coming to town. "It sounds like an incredible adventure."
1. Chapter 1 - The Pianist's Ballad

**To My Readers** :  
I present to you my first Fairy Tail AU! I'm really happy about how this story is going to progress and the plots I have for it so I can confidently say it will be updated every Monday night. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER** : I DO NOT OWN any of these of characters or places in which this story takes place. They are all property of the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **I - The Pianist's Ballad**_

It turned out to be a terrible night for stargazing. When Lucy had made plans to lay out in the garden to study the constellations, a sudden storm appeared out of nowhere and began ravaging the town with pouring rain and streaks of lightening accompanied by rumbles of thunder that shook houses. So instead of stargazing, Lucy settled on spending the night inside the library with all its rows of novels and the beautiful piano.

She sat on the bench with no music book, just allowing her fingers to tickle the keys to an unknown melody. Her eyes slowly closed as the music drifted around the large room and into her ears, matching the pitter-patter of rain pelting the tall windows and roof. The song was soft yet demanding, capturing the attention of anyone within range and pulling their heartstrings to the mourning but peaceful tune. Lucy felt so at peace when she played; like nothing was wrong and everything was okay.

But in reality she knew nothing was alright. In reality, everything was falling apart and she was so lonely it hurt.

Ever since Lucy's mother died, her father became cold and negligent towards her. He locked himself up in his study and no one was supposed to enter unless the servants had brought him a meal or someone had come in for an important meeting. When Lucy was a younger, she would usually make the stupid mistake of sneaking in to say hello or just to see what her father was doing in that big, dark, lonely room all by himself. All those adventures ever received were shouts of anger and a door slamming in her face.

Lucy didn't think her father ever stopped to consider the fact of how much she missed her mother as well. It still hurt her to think of all the wonderful times they had together and how each new day brought about something she wish she could tell her. And coming to the realization she would never be able to share those details of her life broke her heart. She thought it would kill her if she didn't have music and the stars.

Lucy's mother was extremely fond of astrology from a very young age. Before she died she would take Lucy out of bed in the middle of the night and bring her to the library's balcony to glance up at the night sky all alight with stars. She eventually started teaching Lucy everything about the sky; not just the stars but also about the moon, meteors, and how to chart constellations. After she died, Lucy found her mother's notebooks filled with everything she ever learned and knew about astrology. When she discovered her mother's notes Lucy felt a bit more at peace that she had a little piece of her to hold on to even after she'd gone. Although she would never write in her notebooks Lucy, too, started taking up astrology by practicing the same techniques her mother taught her and buying as many books as humanly possible.

Whenever she looked up into the sky to see those stars her mother used to fawn over, she felt closer to her. As if she was now one of the stars winking at Lucy from far above, admiring her persistence for knowledge and celebrating her joy when she discovered an illusive star or finally had the opportunity to watch a meteor shower.

A smile pulled at Lucy's lips as the music flowed through her fingers and prodded her body to sway along with the playing of the keys. The thoughts of her mother cultivated until she could almost feel her sitting next to her on the bench, smiling along with her as the music poured through the air and swirled around them.

But the feeling was short-lived when the door to the room opened and the sound of footsteps sounded through the room. Lucy's fingers played out a short ending to the song and she slowly opened her eyes, half-expecting her mother to still be residing beside her, waiting for her to properly end the song. However, when she turned to her left she only saw the tall window wet with rain and the dark, thundering clouds outside.

She shifted around on the bench to face the person who had come into the library and saw Ms. Spetto walking towards her, her expression timid with her hands folded in front of her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Lucy," she began, "but your father has requested silence. He has a very important meeting taking place in his study and he finds your playing…'distracting'."

 _Of course my father would find the talent my mother taught me distracting,_ Lucy thought. She didn't dare utter the words out loud but she stood from the bench and moved away from the piano, her long, silky nightgown swishing against her ankles with the movement.

"Alright," she replied, forcing a small smile crossing her lips. "I know how important father's meetings are." Though Lucy meant for the words to be reassuring, Ms. Spetto still looked troubled. She came towards her and took her wrists, smiling up at her with sad eyes.

"If it's any consolation, I thought it was _beautiful_ ," she said, emphasizing the last word to let Lucy know she really meant it. The only friends and real comfort Lucy received from anyone was from Ms. Spetto. She loved Lucy's mother as much as Lucy did since she also catered to her when she was alive and even when she was dying. That being said, all the other servants were extremely caring, but Ms. Spetto and Lucy had a very special bond and she understood her pain better than anyone.

"Thank you, Ms. Spetto," Lucy said. "I think I'll just head up to bed now." Ms. Spetto nodded and released her wrists.

"Shall I get you anything to drink or eat before then?" she asked. Lucy shook her head.

"No, I think I'll be alright. Thank you, though."

Lucy walked around Ms. Spetto and headed to the door of the library, her heart aching for her mother's presence.

 _Lucy could hear the distinct sound of laughter. She didn't know where it was coming from, but it was all around her. She opened her eyes carefully—the sun above her was extremely bright—and she blinked a few times before she could clear her vision. Leaning into her elbows, she lifted herself off the ground and stared into a golden field of grass. Wearing a simple blue gown, Lucy could only discern she was the sole person in the field despite what she had heard earlier. Rising from the grass, she decided to have a look around the large expanse of land._

 _Suddenly, just as she stood up in her bare feet, Lucy heard a familiar laugh fill the windy pasture. Her brown eyes widened and she felt the tears coming. It was her mother she heard._

 _"Mother?" Lucy called out, swiveling her head around to try and catch a glimpse of her mother._

 _"Lucy…" she heard, her mother's soft voice echoing through the field. The tears blurred her vision as she tried desperately the find her mother amidst the windy grass._

 _"Mother!" she shouted, her words disappearing with the wind._

 _"My darling girl…" When Lucy turned in front of her, she was startled to see a dark figure standing just a few feet from her. Her heart ached immediately and Lucy knew the future to be her mother. It couldn't be anyone else._

 _"Mother…" Lucy sighed, the tears spilling from her eyes. Her mother suddenly appeared in front of her with a smile on her lips that brightened her beautiful face._

 _For a while, the mother and daughter just stared at each other, Lucy's face becoming drenched with tears. Her mother—Layla—raised her hand and gently wiped her thumb across Lucy's cheek to brush away a stream of tears. Lucy let out a soft sob and leaned into her mother's hand, reveling in the soft caress of her touch. Slowly, as though to avoid scaring her, Layla took away her hand from Lucy's face and wrapped them around her daughter's waist instead, pulling her against her body so tightly Lucy found it a bit difficult to breathe. But she wasn't about to complain: she ached so many times to be embraced by her mother again and she was so afraid to do something that would startle her out of this dream._

 _"My beautiful sweet girl," Layla whispered into Lucy's hair._

 _"I've missed you so much, mother," Lucy whispered back. Layla's arms suddenly grew slack and she released her daughter, much to Lucy's dismay. Taking a step back, Layla looked at her daughter with glistening eyes and she brought her right hand up to her heart, closing her eyes._

 _"Follow your heart," she said._

The next morning Lucy sat in the large dining room by herself eating breakfast. Ms. Spetto had yet to come in to tell her about what would be happening that day. Usually her father always had something planned for her to do to keep her busy and out of his office. His imagination never ceased to amaze her.

The memory of Lucy's reunion with her mother was still fresh in her mind and she couldn't help but ponder the possible meaning behind her last words. It was pretty clear she hadn't been taking this advice since her mother's death so perhaps Lucy would just know when it was appropriate for her to "follow her heart". The occasion hadn't yet presented itself yet, so she figured something had to change in order to provoke the right moment. Though she was wide awake, she could still feel the spot on her left cheek where her mother had placed her hand and wiped away her tears.

While Lucy wondered about her dream's meaning, the huge wooden doors to the dining room bursted open and Ms. Spetto appeared, running into the room.

"Lucy, Lucy!" she shouted, panting heavily from running. Lucy's attention was now fully trained on Ms. Spetto as she made her way towards her and took a moment to catch her breath.

"Ms. Spetto, what is it? Are you alright?" Lucy asked, standing from her spot at the table and coming over to rub Ms. Spetto's back as she took in air.

"Y—your father is allowing you to come with me into town," she huffed, looking up at Lucy. "He's letting you out of the house for the _whole_ day!"

Lucy's heart leapt with joy at the idea of having the whole day to spend outside, surrounded by people. She was hardly ever allowed to leave the grounds of the mansion so she felt completely liberated. She smiled widely and hugged Ms. Spetto for no other reason than to express her sheer excitement.

"Oh, Ms. Spetto, there's so much we can do!" she exclaimed, taking her hands. "We should go clothes shopping! There was a gorgeous dress I saw in one of the shops magazines a few days ago and I've been dying to get it! Could we please go to the shop?"

Ms. Spetto smiled brightly at Lucy, pleased at her excitement. She was usually always so calm and well-mannered but Ms. Spetto knew that wasn't the real Lucy. She was more spontaneous and happy when her mother was alive but ever since her death and her father's tightening of the house rules, she'd been far more compliant to being silent and obedient. Seeing her overwhelmed with excitement was a rare and wonderful sight; as well as an incredible feeling.

"Of course we can, darling," Ms. Spetto replied, cupping Lucy's cheek with her palm. "It is your day after all."

Although she only wanted to run into her room, grab the magazine, and rush out the door, Ms. Spetto made Lucy finish the rest of her breakfast before they set out for their day on the town. Once Lucy scarfed down her breakfast she dashed upstairs and changed as quickly as she could into a light pink, knee-length dress with a lace-covered color, short sleeves, and a pleated skirt falling from underneath the satin bow wrapped around the waist. Lucy stood in front of her vanity mirror and took a small bit of blonde hair to tie into a pink ribbon. Before she left she made sure to grab the magazine and her old brown leather strapped purse to carry her's and her mother's astrology notes. Lucy always wanted to have them with her.

"Lucy, are you almost ready?" Ms. Spetto shouted for Lucy up the stairs as she slipped on a pair of white kitten heeled shoes with matching bows on the rounded toe.

"Yes, I'm coming!" Lucy shouted back, opening her bedroom door and walking quickly down the hallway. Just as she was about to come to the top of the stair's landing, she stopped herself before slamming right into her father as he walked out of his study.

Lucy gasped at his sudden presence and backed up a bit, clutching her magazine and purse strap in one hand, her other hand flying up to her chest. She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something as he looked her over. As always he was dressed in another one of his suits as if expecting to meet with someone important every day but only wasting the day away in that cramped study of his. He grunted when he looked down into Lucy's eyes and gave her a curt nod as he turned on his heels and headed back into his study. Lucy watched him go into the dark room, closing the door behind him with finality.

"Lucy, hurry!" Lucy heard Ms. Spetto call for her. She straightened her purse over her shoulder and hurried down the stairs, holding her magazine up in the air as the giddiness filled her once again. Her father was still letting her off the property. Lucy could be happy…for now.

 **A/N** : Please let me know what you guys think by leaving a review. It means a lot to hear from the audience about what they think of the story. Thank you and Chapter 2 will be up next Monday.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Circus Is Coming to Town

**TO MY** **READERS** :  
Here is Chapter 2! I did a lot of research on this one and I can only assume Acalypha is the closest town to Heartfilia Konzern since that was where Jude and Layla worked before establishing their land. It's also the town where the guild _Love and Lucky_ is located which is the guild they decided on Lucy's name. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and Chapter 3 will be up next week!

 **DISCLAIMER** :I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **II - The Circus Is Coming to Town**_

As usual, the town was bustling with people and tourists alike who had swooned at the idea of visiting Acalypha, the town closest to the Heartfilia Konzern. And who could blame them? Summer was the most beautiful season to explore the little town, especially with its beautiful beach. But even amongst the crowds of tourists Lucy still felt like a sore thumb, despite her casual attire. She could hear people whisper as they walked past:

"Isn't that Lucy Heartfilia?! Of the Heartfilia Family?"

"What's she doing out here?"

"They hardly ever leave their estate. What could our small town possibly have to offer _her_?"

Lucy's heart began to fall as she and Ms. Spetto walked farther and farther into the town. Just when she thought about leaving and locking herself in the library with the piano, Lucy felt Ms. Spetto's hand slowly reach up to hers to wrap her fingers around Lucy's hand. She looked down at the short, loving woman and saw her smiling up at her, giving her a small amount of courage with the kind gesture. Lucy beamed back at her in return, not wanting some rude people to ruin a perfect day. Ms. Spetto and Lucy continued walking down the street, her mood quickly rising as they got closer to the little boutique selling the dress she had her eyes on for a while. Ms. Spetto reached into her purse and pulled out a list of things Lucy's father and the kitchen servants needed, turning towards her.

"Lucy, I have to go to the food market for a while to purchase everything we need back home," Ms. Spetto said. "You go ahead to that boutique of yours and I'll meet you there, okay?" Lucy felt her good mood slipping away at the realization Ms. Spetto wouldn't be there to pick out her dress. But the day wasn't completely ruined and she nodded in reply.

"Alright. I'll be there when you're ready," Lucy said, releasing Ms. Spetto's hand and walking straight ahead as her friend crossed the road. Lucy's grip on her purse strap and magazine tightened as she moved on. She had to keep thinking about the beautiful dress she was about to own to keep herself in high spirits.

A little ways down on her left was the small and quaint boutique known as _The Maiden's Couture_ with two gorgeous wedding dresses displayed in the two opposite windows. Lucy pushed open the door and a small bell tinkled above her, signaling her arrival. Two women behind the counter snapped their heads up and stared at Lucy as she walked towards them.

"G-good morning, miss," the first women said. She had short brown hair and was dressed in a tight black dress with matching shoes and a white apron tied around her waist. She offered Lucy a kind smile and shooed the other woman away as she walked around the counter. Lucy had no doubt the two already knew who she was but were remaining formal and courteous which kept her calm as they treated her like they would any other customer.

"Good morning," Lucy replied with a nod. "I'm here today to purchase one of the dresses you have advertised in this month's magazine issue." The woman came to stand in front of Lucy with bright eyes and looked her over, her gaze stopping on the magazine Lucy had crumpled with her tight grip.

"May I see?" the woman asked. Lucy nodded and opened the rolled up journal to place it in the woman's hands, who gently flipped through the pages to the bookmarked section where the dress was pictured. As the woman read through the magazine, Lucy noticed she was wearing a name tag proclaiming her name as Michelle. Her eyes widened in excitement as she looked over the dress on the page and nodded vehemently.

"Ah, yes! You are in luck, miss!" Michelle said with a bright smile. "We actually still have two left in stock and we weren't expecting another shipment until next week. Is this for a special occasion?"

About two months ago, Lucy's father decided to host a ball at their residence to announce the engagement of Duke Sawarr of the Junelle family and Lucy Heartfilia of the Heartfilia Konzern, an event she could most certainly do without. Her father was originally going to be the one to pick out Lucy's dress—along with the help of the maids—but she demanded she be granted the permission to select her own. Her father complied and Lucy spent a while deciding on the perfect dress. Now, with the event only four days away, Lucy was beginning to feel the crushing actuality of her fate.

 _Why am I working so hard to impress a man I've never met who will become my fiancé? Isn't that so absurd?_

But Lucy kept reminding herself the real reason for her excitement in choosing a dress for such a depressing event was because she and her mother used to go through _The Maiden's Couture_ magazine when Lucy was little. Layla would point out all her favorite dresses and showed Lucy which ones she thought she would look the most stunning in. It was always a great day when the monthly magazine would arrive at their home, the two already planning to lay on the soft rug of the library and flip through the glossy pages.

The dress Lucy had chosen had once been featured in a previous issue a few years back as part of an exclusive sale. Her mother loved everything about it and gushed about how beautiful it would look on her daughter. When Lucy saw it in that month's issue again as a limited time style, she knew she had to get it; not just for herself but to show her mother how she would look in it, wherever she was.

"Not one I wish to attend," Lucy muttered to herself. Michelle looked at Lucy with confusion and she shook her head with a grin. "Yes, it is for a special occasion, but it's also a dress my mother and I loved. You do have it in this color, yes?"

"Of course," Michelle replied, gently taking Lucy's hand and leading her to the changing rooms. She guided Lucy down to the back of the boutique and made a right down a hallway of doors. She chose one on the left side and opened it to reveal a small room with a chair in the right corner, a mirror against the adjacent wall, and a rack for hangers on the left.

"I will be right back with the dress for you, miss," Michelle said, closing the door behind them and removing a silky white robe from the rack on the back door, handing it to Lucy.

"Please, call me Lucy," she said, accepting the soft garment. Michelle smiled at her and walked out the door into the hallway.

"What size are you exactly?"Michelle asked from the hallways.

"A four," Lucy replied. Michelle nodded and closed the door, leaving Lucy in the room alone to change into the robe. Lucy unzipped the side of her dress, stepped out of her shoes, and lifted the robe over her shoulders, tying the sash to her side. She looked into the mirror and smiled at herself, thinking of how excited her mother would've been.

"I hope you're with me, mother," Lucy said, gazing up at the white ceiling of the room. "And I hope you love this dress on me."

A moment later a knock sounded on the door and Lucy moved to open it. Michelle was back, the white cover for the dress draped over her arm and she had a bright smile on her face.

"This was the last size four we had, Lucy," she said, coming into the room and hanging the dress on the rack to the left. "I think this is going to look absolutely stunning on you."

"I hope so," Lucy replied, her hands clasped to her chest as Michelle unzipped the front zipper of the cover to reveal the dress.

It was even more beautiful than in the magazine and seeing it in person made Lucy's heart flutter. The thick, soft pink straps of the dress hung at the side with two plastic strings keeping the garment on the hanger. The straps were connected to the dress by rosy pink bows on the collar and the front was beautifully decorated with pink shell colored roses. The top was fuchsia and cut off from the skirt by the same soft pink as the straps. The skirt matched the color of the body but both sides were lifted by the soft shelled roses to reveal the layered, lacy, blush skirt with a pleated pattern at the very bottom.

Lucy smiled even wider as Michelle took the dress off the hanger and unbuttoned the back. She looked away for a moment to allow Lucy to take off the robe and she took the dress from Michelle to slip into. The woman quickly buttoned the back for Lucy and she couldn't help but stare at the dress on her in the mirror.

"I was right!" Michelle gasped. "It looks absolutely amazing on you, Lucy!" Lucy smiled and ran her hands over the soft fabric, her throat tightening. _I wish you were here, mother_.

"Lucy?" A knock sounded on the door and Lucy nodded to Michelle who opened the room's entrance to Ms. Spetto standing on the other side. She stopped when she saw Lucy and her eyes watered, the tears cascading down her face.

"Lucy, you look so lovely!" she cried, patting her eyes with her handkerchief. Lucy laughed and moved around a little in the dress, making the skirt swirl.

"It's almost like it was made for you," Michelle gushed. "Whoever you're wearing this dress for will fall in love the moment he sees you in it!" Lucy shook her head and Michelle looked at her with confusion.

"I'm not wearing it for any man," she replied. "And the person I'm wearing it for already knew it would look beautiful on me." Ms. Spetto let out another cry and Lucy giggled to get rid of the terrible lump in her throat.

"I would like to purchase this dress," she said to Michelle. She smiled and nodded, heading out of the room to ring Lucy out at the register.

"Oh, Lucy," Ms. Spetto said, coming towards Lucy. "I know your mother would have given anything to see you in this." Lucy smiled and nodded, her eyes pricking with tears, but Ms. Spetto rubbed Lucy's arms gently. "And I know she would only want you to be happy. That's all a mother ever wants for her child." Lucy nodded, forcing herself to keep smiling and stepped back.

"I'll be right out, Ms. Spetto," she said who backed away and closed the door on her way out. Lucy looked into the mirror and smiled, allowing a single tear to fall from her eye as she worked to unbutton the dress.

Five minutes later, another knock came on the door and Michelle cautiously stepped in. Lucy was already dressed in her original clothes and she had hung up the dress on the hanger, the cover zipped up. She smiled at the woman and opened her purse to give Michelle the jewels for the dress. She took the money and gestured for Lucy to remove the dress from the rack.

"Have a lovely day, Lucy," she said, leaving the room. Lucy draped the dress over her arm and met Ms. Spetto outside the room to leave the boutique. Michelle and the other woman waved goodbye to them as they exited the shop and turned right to head back home.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement, Lucy was able to completely ignore the odd stares she received from some passerby's and she kept turning her head left and right to see the other shops and stores nearby. While the continued to walk down the sidewalk, Lucy stopped when her eye caught a big, strange symbol. She backed up a bit and glanced at the large flyer pinned to the board with an odd insignia printed on it that almost looked like a fairy. Below the symbol was a large opening statement to grab people's attention:

 _COME ONE, COME ALL!_

 _To witness the incredibly magical circus known as FAIRY TAIL._

 _Enjoy two weeks of excitement and thrills as our talented members put on their mystical shows of epic proportions! The alluringly beautiful yet dangerous swordswoman, Erza; the water and ice lovers duo, Gray and Juvia; the stunning acrobatics of Wendy and Carla; the furious lightening of Laxus; Gajeel, the metal-eater; Fried and Bixslow, the hypnotics; the unbelievable aim of Alzack and Bisca; Fiore's strongest man, Elfman, and his exotically beautiful assistances Mirajane, Evergreen, and Lisanna; the world's heaviest drinker and spectacular fortune-teller, Cana; and, of course, FAIRY TAIL'S very own Dragon, Natsu, and his assistant, Happy!_

 _Come and witness the incredible spectacle known as the FAIRY TAIL circus!_

 _ARRIVES IN ACALYPHA JUNE 10!_

"Lucy?" Ms. Spetto had stopped walking and headed back to where Lucy stood, gawking at the flyer. _A dragon, a swordswoman, a metal-eater, and a water and ice duo?!_ she thought to herself. "What are you staring at, Lucy?" Ms. Spetto asked, standing next to her.

"Ms. Spetto! There's a circus coming to town! A real live circus!" she exclaimed, pointing to the flyer. Ms. Spetto squinted at it and nodded, but shook her head as her eyes fell on the bottom of the poster, announcing the date of the opening show.

"As much as you might want to go, Lucy, it's first show is the same day as your ball," she stated. Lucy looked at the date and her joy dissipated.

"Oh…I see," she replied. Lucy could see Ms. Spetto getting upset beside her and her arm came up to the board, ripping the flyer from the bulletin.

"Ms. Spetto! What are you doing?!" Lucy gasped as Ms. Spetto stuffed the flyer into her purse.

"There might be more information about where this circus will be in town on the flyer," she explained innocently. "Besides, I believe everyone is entitled the right to see at least one live performance in their life." Lucy gawked at Ms. Spetto for a moment but found herself laughing. Ms. Spetto grinned widely at Lucy, clearly proud of herself.

"Come now, dear," she said. "We'll have some lunch in town and then we'll head home. How's that?"

"That sounds amazing," Lucy replied, following Ms. Spetto back down the street.

 _Fairy Tail…_ Lucy thought. _It sounds like an incredible adventure._

 **A/N** : Don't forget to leave a review and I look forward to posting next week's chapter! :3


	3. Chapter 3 - The Ball and The Big Top

**TO MY READERS:  
** Chapter 3 is now up! I honestly can't wait for you guys to read next week's chapter because that will be the beginning of the circus section where the rest of the storyline will take place. I really wanted to combine this chapter with Chapter 4 but it was just too much content & there needed to be a break-unfortunately. I hope you all enjoy it & don't forget to check back next Monday for Chapter 4!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **III - The Ball and The Big Top**_

The morning of Lucy's ball, she was woken at an incredibly early hour by Ms. Spetto who needed Lucy's help choosing some of the final details of the event: the color of the table cloths, what kind of flowers would be used to decorate the ballroom and garden where the outside dining would take place, etc.

"Good morning, Lucy," Ms. Spetto said, stroking Lucy's hair as her eyes fluttered open. Upon remembering the event, Lucy groaned and covered her head with her blanket. Ms. Spetto sighed and pulled back her hand, taking a seat at the edge of Lucy's bed.

"I know, Lucy, I know," she said sadly. "But just think, this is the day that circus is arriving." Lucy pulled the blanket from her face just enough that only one eye peeked out at Ms. Spetto.

"That's true," she agreed. "But I won't be able to go anyways. After my _engagement_ , father will probably have me confided to the house so my fiancé and I can get better acquainted." Ms. Spetto let out a snicker and wagged her finger at Lucy.

"Ah, yes, but _I_ have a plan," she giggled. Lucy threw the blanket back and felt her body awaken with anticipation.

"What kind of plan?!" Lucy demanded. Ms. Spetto shook her head.

"First, you have to eat your breakfast and help me with the last few jobs for tonight. Only then will I disclose my plan," she said mischievously. Lucy threw her head back in a groan but was still smiling with excitement.

"Alright," she said. "I'll play along." Ms. Spetto clasped her hands in front of her and gave Lucy a big, stupid smile.

"Okay then, Ms. Lucy. Let's get you ready for the day," she said, walking to the closet and pulling out Lucy's chiffon dress with the beige top decorated with dark pink polka dots, a navy blue ribbon in the back, and a matching navy blue skirt. Lucy quickly changed into her comfortable attire, slipping on a pair of light brown, calf-length boots.

When Lucy arrived in the large dining room, she was surprised to see her father sitting at the far end of the table with a stack of papers next to him and his breakfast atop the place set. He immediately noticed her entrance and looked up to his daughter, watching her as she sat herself down at the other head of the table, far from her father. Jude Heartfilia snapped his fingers upon Lucy sitting at her chair and Ms. Spetto hurriedly moved to give Lucy her breakfast.

"Thank you, Ms. Spetto," Lucy said with a nod. When Ms. Spetto receded out into the hallway and closed the door behind her, Jude finally addressed his daughter.

"Lucy," he began, his voice demanding her attention.

"Yes, father?" she replied sternly.

"As you are most likely already well aware, your engagement ball is tonight," he said.

"Yes, I am aware," Lucy replied, forcing herself to say it without the tiniest bit of resentment. Her father would not tolerate an attitude about such an important event like the one that was to take place that night.

"I would just like to remind you how incredibly crucial this ball is," he said. "You will be meeting with your future husband after all the guests have arrived. I cannot stress enough the significance of this marriage between you and Prince Sawarr. By uniting you both in holy matrimony the Heartfilia Railways could extend all the way to the south, an amazing achievement to be made. Not to mention the necessity for you to bear a son as the next heir to your's and Prince Sawarr's family."

 _All this marriage will bring is misery for me, but all the wealth in the world for you and the Junelle Family,_ Lucy thought. _Not that you care, father._

"Lucy," her father said, expecting a reply.

"Yes, father," Lucy said reluctantly. "I understand the seriousness of this event. I assure you everything will go as you have planned." Lucy held her father's gaze for a long while as he stared at her. Finally, he nodded and stood from his chair, walking over to Lucy. He stopped on her right side with his hands behind his back and facing the tall doors of the dining room. Shockingly, he placed his hand on Lucy's shoulder and she couldn't help but gasp at the sudden physical contact. Her father hardly ever showed affection to her after Layla died and she was surprised at even the simplest gesture of his hand on her shoulder.

"I am pleased with the strong, intelligent woman you have become, Lucy," he said in a softer voice. "I know you will make not only me but also your moth—the entire Heartfilia family proud." As quickly as he had put his hand on her shoulder, Jude Heartfilia lifted his arm away from Lucy and walked out of the dining room, softly closing the door behind him. Once he had gone, Lucy silently allowed herself to release the tears that had accumulated.

She didn't want to be married off to some stranger. It wasn't right! She clutched her stomach and keeled over her arms, finding it difficult to breathe with her strained sobs and rushing streams of tears. She felt like she was being suffocated and there was no escaping it. She would become Lucy Heartfilia Junelle, the wife of a mysterious prince and be forced to give birth to a son. She didn't even have a choice in the gender of her future child! It was sickening and Lucy wasn't sure how much more she could take of any of it.

Once she felt herself running out of tears, Lucy threw her body back against the chair and let go of the grip on her stomach. She snatched the napkin at her table setting, dabbed her eyes, and blew her nose. Though she hated her arranged marriage she knew there was nothing she could do about any of it. Even if she came up with some convoluted plan to get herself out of the situation, her father would hate her for screwing up the Heartfilia Family's future. It was all up to her, the only heir.

 _What a miserable existence_ , Lucy sighed.

After composing herself, Lucy stood up from the table without having touched her breakfast and left the dining room, meeting Ms. Spetto outside. Right away her friend could tell something was wrong upon noticing Lucy's bloodshot eyes. She looked at Lucy with sadness and motioned her to follow her to the garden where a dozen servants were shuffling around to set up the large tent where the guests would be dining. Ms. Spetto led Lucy to a secluded area of the garden where there weren't any people working; a section where Layla's blue hydrangeas grew, kept up by Lucy and some of the other servants. It was Lucy's favorite spot to stargaze.

"Tonight, after you make your entrance and you're introduced to the Prince, it should be the best time for you to sneak out to go to the circus," Ms. Spetto whispered. Lucy shook her head.

"I can't," she replied. "If I try anything to derail this marriage my father will never forgive me." She looked away from Ms. Spetto, feeling her heart falling into her stomach. "There's nothing I can do."

"You and I both know that's a flat-out lie," Ms. Spetto said. Lucy moved her head back to the short maid and looked at her with confusion.

"Despite what tonight might mean in terms of your family, I still think there's time," she continued.

"Time for what?" Lucy asked, still perplexed.

"To follow your heart," Ms. Spetto said sternly. Lucy's eyes widened in shock at the woman's words but before she could say anything, a servant called for Ms. Spetto. She smiled at Lucy, patted her hand, and walked away towards the servant who had called for her. Lucy felt her heart pounding in her chest, realizing the significance of the simple sentence both her mother and Ms. Spetto had spoken to her. Perhaps the moment Lucy was waiting for was to take a chance she might never had even considered, like sneaking out of such an important event and attending a circus.

 _If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is_ , Lucy thought to herself.

That night—for the first time ever—Lucy Heartfilia would be listening to her heart.

"Oh, Lucy-sama!" cried one of Lucy's servants. "You look absolutely stunning!"

Lucy was standing in front of the tall mirror of her room, beautified in the dress she had bought four days ago. Though the night still weighed heavy on her she felt a bit calmer in the garment, almost as if her mother was now standing beside her to give her comfort.

With the other servants letting in the guests invited to the ball, Lucy could hear the muffled voices of those entering the mansion and making their way to the ballroom. Her stomach was churning uncomfortably, making her extremely glad she hadn't eaten anything beforehand since she would most certainly have thrown it up by then.

"Alright ladies, thank you for your help," Lucy heard Ms. Spetto saying. "You are dismissed." The servants bowed and left Lucy's bedroom, leaving her along with her friend who came to stand next to her.

"They are right, Lucy," Ms. Spetto smiled. "You look more beautiful than I ever thought possible."

The servants who had helped Lucy to get ready had gone all-out to make her presentable for her future husband. Her makeup was applied to a tee and her hair had been pulled back in a high ponytail with her bangs and long strands of hair falling on either side of her face. She most certainly felt beautiful but she wished it was for another occasion.

"Remember what I told you," Ms. Spetto whispered, walking back to the bedroom door. "You have five minutes before everyone has arrived and your entrance is scheduled." Lucy nodded and Ms. Spetto stepped into the hallway, closing the door.

Lucy let out a loud sigh and looked over to the photograph on her bureau. It was her favorite photo of herself and her mother: They were outside in the garden planting Layla's hydrangeas and Ms. Spetto decided to take a quick photo of the happy time. Lucy was younger in the picture and her mother had wrapped her in her arms so tightly Lucy couldn't help but laugh. Layla was smiling despite the pain she must've been in from her illness and she was wearing one of her wigs; the brunette pixie cut.

Before she became sick, Layla had the same blonde hair as Lucy. But when she began treatment for her cancer, one of the side effects was hair loss. As a solution, Layla ordered at least twenty-five wigs in almost every hairstyle and color humanly possible and she used to choose different styles for every week. After she passed away, Lucy's father couldn't bare to look at the accumulation of wigs residing in his room so he had them moved into the attic where they remained on the styrofoam heads, unused.

Lucy smiled at the wonderful memory and placed her hand over her heart, feeling it breaking. She wished her mother was here, if only to watch her walk off with a strange man she would soon marry. It was so lonely not to have her around.

"Alright," Lucy sighed. "I suppose it's time." Lifting her skirt, Lucy turned around and headed out her bedroom door to stand at the top of the balcony. Ms. Spetto's back was turned to Lucy as she stood waiting at the landing, chatting with another servant who noticed Lucy standing behind Ms. Spetto.

"Is it time already?" the servant asked excitedly. Ms. Spetto turned around with her hands folded in front of her and nodded solemnly.

"It is," she said in a soft voice.

"I'll go notify the Master that Lucy-sama is ready," the servant said, disappearing down the stairs. Ms. Spetto came to stand in front of Lucy whose whole body was shaking with nerves. She didn't want to do this. God, how she didn't want to do this.

"How are you feeling?" Ms. Spetto asked. Lucy suddenly realized Ms. Spetto was the first person to ask her her own feelings concerning the evening. But she knew she couldn't truly voice her opinion on this engagement. It wasn't her place. She just had to grin and bear it.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied, trying to avoid the question entirely. Ms. Spetto looked at her worriedly but the servant came back up the stairs before she could say anything in return.

"The Master is gathering everyone and the Prince for your arrival, Lucy-sama," she stated, a wide smile lighting up her face. Lucy nodded and came to stand in front of the staircase that curved down into the lobby. No one could see her until she made the corner so she didn't have to smile until the last possible second.

"Whenever you're ready," Ms. Spetto whispered. Lucy nodded, inhaled deeply, and stepped down on the first stair in her high, white heels. Once she placed her foot she knew there was no going back. As she came to the rounded corner of the stairs, she let her hand graze the wooden railing which oddly made her feel a bit calmer.

Before she came to the corner, Lucy stopped, breathed in again, and forced a smile. Upon making the turn, she saw the excited faces of all the guests as well as the man Lucy presumed to be Prince Sawarr. Lucy had to restrain herself from making a face of disgust: he was a short, fat man who had curled hair parted on either side of his face, a silly small hat atop his head, and tiny eyes made even tinier by the circular glasses perched on his nose. Lucy gulped and stopped at the middle of the stairs, waiting for one of the male servants to make the announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" he bellowed, standing to the left of the staircase. "May I present to you the heir to the Heartfilia Konzern and the daughter of Jude and the late Layla, Lucy Heartfilia." The guests gathered in the lobby clapped loudly while the Prince eyed Lucy up and down, giving her a terribly creepy feeling as his face began to shine with sweat.

Though her entire body told her to run upstairs and lock herself in her room, Lucy commanded her feet to continue down the stairs and stop at the bottom, curtsying to the guests who were still clapping their enthusiasm. The Prince slowly made his way towards her, swinging one arm behind him and offering the other to Lucy. She gave him a strained smile in thanks for his gesture and slipped her arm under his, careful not to let her bare skin lean into him. Right when her arm came through his, though, the Prince quickly pulled Lucy into his side and carted her through to the ballroom where more people were standing around clapping. Lucy's stomach continued to roll as she walked around with the Prince glued to her side and she suddenly felt extremely exposed in her dress that didn't have sleeves, giving her no protection against the Prince.

"You are quite the prize, Lucy-chama," the Prince said in an eerily high voice. "My parents told me you were an exceptional beauty but I figured that was only to get me excited about this engagement. I can see though they were absolutely right." Lucy narrowed her eyes at the Prince who, to her disgust, was greedily eyeing her chest. He obviously had no idea she had noticed as his face turned a scarlet red and he bit his lip, almost in anticipation. Lucy quickly averted her eyes, her knees quaking under her.

"Shall we dance?" the Prince asked. Again, Lucy's body wanted nothing more than to retreat back up the stairs but she managed a nod and allowed for the Prince to put one hand on her waist and the other to take her hand. The band off in the corner of the ballroom playing a slow, beautiful song to give the couples a chance to dance with their lovers. However, Lucy couldn't help the recurring gooseflesh speckling her skin as she and the Prince moved across the floor.

"You are quite the dancer as well," he mused, forcing his eyes to meet Lucy's. "I believe I've come across a fair gem."

Though they only probably danced for a few moments, Lucy felt like it lasted for hours. Thinking she had had enough time alone with the Prince, she took a step away from him and stopped dancing in the middle of the floor. He looked at her with confusion and—for the first time since they'd met—he actually met her eyes genuinely.

"Is something the matter, Lucy-chama?" the Prince asked.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but I'm rather famished. Do you think we could pick up where we left off in a few moments?" Lucy asked with a sweet, fake smile. Before the Prince could say anything, Lucy tried to slip past him through the crowd of dancers.

"L—Lucy…" he began, reaching out a hand to grab her arm. Instead of grabbing her hand, the Prince accidentally snagged a part of her dress and, with Lucy trying to get away, the piece of fabric let out a deafening _rip_ that snapped her attention back behind her. But it was too late: the Prince stood in shock a few inches away, holding a piece of Lucy's dress in his hand, and a gaping hole in her garment. What little there was left of her patience slipped away and a piece of her heart broke off and dissipated in her stomach.

"Lucy-chama, I am so sorry…" the Prince said. Lucy wasn't having any of it anymore. She stomped towards the Prince, snatched the piece of fabric, and bolted for the staircase. On her way, she was pretty sure she heard her father yelling after her but she wouldn't be stopped. The evening was already horrific enough, but having her dress ruined—the very one she and her mother picked out together before she passed—was the last straw.

Once she was safely up the stairs and inside her room, Lucy locked the door and hastily began unbuttoning her dress with the tears clouding her vision, causing her to trip over something on the floor she couldn't see and falling on the carpet. With the top of her dress removed, Lucy crumpled onto the ground with the piece of fabric squeezed so tightly in her hands her nails hurt her palm.

She couldn't take anymore of it. If she stayed her any longer, she was sure what was left of her heart would disappear and she'd be as cold and unfeeling as her father. She would _not_ let that happen; she wouldn't stand for it.

Having drained herself of her tears, Lucy slowly lifted herself off the ground and stared outside the balcony of her room, the setting sun sending streams of soft orange light into her room. Though she still felt sick to her stomach, Lucy smiled at the beautiful sky and walked towards the veranda. Wearing nothing but her corset over her chest, Lucy watched the guests eat, laugh, and dance below her in the garden. A few had broken off—most likely lovers—and were enjoying their own company as the day continued to fall.

Then, something caught Lucy's eye from beyond the mountain of the Heartfilia Konzern. Turning her head to the sudden burst of color, Lucy saw the insignia she had seen on the flyer announcing the circus that was coming to Acalypha that night. As quickly as it had appeared in the sky the emblem fell away, a simple firework. But another one took it's place right away, the words _FAIRY TAIL_ speckling the sky with sparks colored the same as the sunset.

 _That's it,_ Lucy thought. _I'm going to Fairy Tail_.

 **A/N:** Please remember to leave a review; it always means so much. See you guys next week with Chapter 4! 3


	4. Chapter 4 - Welcome to Fairy Tail!

**TO MY READERS:  
** Here is Chapter 4! I don't know if I've already said this, but this is definitely my favorite chapter. I hope you all like how I incorporated Erza into the show & next chapter will be just as exciting, I promise. Please enjoy & don't forget to leave a review!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belong to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **IV - Welcome to Fairy Tail!**_

Though Lucy had decided to escape the Heartfilia property to enjoy the spectacle of the circus, she knew if she wanted a clean getaway she needed to go back downstairs and address the issue of her leaving unannounced. Her father would have been waiting and if he came looking for her only to find out she had left, he would be furious. So, using every ounce of courage she could muster, Lucy quickly folded the part of her dress that had been ripped and walked back down the stairs to the party.

Luckily, most of the guests had been too busy drinking, dancing, or eating to notice her sudden disappearance and she was spared the uncomfortable stares. It was fairly easy for her to find the Duke and her father as they sat beside each other at the far end of the ballroom against the wall where a few chairs had been set up should any guests get tired. As she approached them, the Duke shot up from his chair looking genuinely concerned. Lucy's father however looked less than pleased and he simply stared his daughter down as she got closer.

"Lucy-chama…" the Duke started, but Lucy raised her hand to stop him.

"No, my lord, I believe it is I who should be apologizing to you," Lucy said. Swiftly, she caught a glance of her father who looked shocked at Lucy's mature behavior. "I apologize for having stormed off. After all, it's just a…silly dress. It can most certainly be fixed." Lucy had to choke out the second to last sentence but she knew it was necessary for her to be able to get out of the house.

"Well, with that being said, I should also offer some form of justification," the Duke continued. "I should not have tried to grab you so roughly and I am sorry for that." Lucy nodded her thanks and looked at her father who's expression had lightened.

"Might we continue dancing, my lord?" Lucy asked, this time extending her hand out to the Duke. _I should've been an actress_. The Duke smiled and Lucy saw his eyes glance at her chest again though he snapped them back so fast Lucy could almost pretend she hadn't seen it.

"I would love nothing more," the Duke replied, escorting Lucy back onto the dance floor.

Once again, Lucy and the Duke were at the center of the ballroom, gliding to the song the orchestra was playing. Though she still hated being so close to such a short man who obviously saw her as nothing more than a "prize", she was able to put on a brave face as they waltzed on. Some of the guests even stopped to look at how beautiful the couple of the night was moving.

Finally, the Duke decided they had had enough time on the floor and brought Lucy outside to the tent where all the guests were eating. Like a greedy pig, the Duke grabbed the biggest plate he could find and began filling it as much as possible while Lucy—in a very lady-like fashion—took a simple bowl of pasta and a glass of wine. The Duke led her to the large, fancy table that had been placed to the right of the buffet and sat her down next to him while he took the head of the table. He couldn't keep his eyes off her, even while he was eating which made him appear rather disgusting.

"Lucy-chama," he said while chewing a large amount of food, "I couldn't help but think from the moment I met you how _beautiful_ our children will look once we're married." Lucy nearly choked on a piece of penne and had to take a large gulp of wine to stop herself from coughing.

"Y—yes, my lord," she replied, wiping her mouth absent-mindedly with her napkin.

 _Having beautiful children requires the work of_ both _parents and I have a feeling you won't be contributing much_ , she thought snidely.

The Duke proceeded to stuff his face and Lucy was able to take the chance to glance beyond the mountain where she had seen the spectacular fireworks only a moment ago. They hadn't fired off any again so Lucy hoped and prayed they were only the opening part and she would still get plenty of time to see the circus in action in just a few hours. When she moved her eyes back to the Duke, she caught sight of Ms. Spetto who gave her a concerned look. She had probably heard of Lucy storming off from one of the other servants but hadn't had a chance to check up on her herself. The guilt was written all over her face. To reassure Ms. Spetto, Lucy nodded to her slightly and offered a smile as well as a head gesture to the mountains. Ms. Spetto grinned and turned back to her work again, appearing calmer.

"Are you enjoying the ball?" the Duke asked as he bit into a piece of chicken straight from the bone. Lucy sipped some more of her wine before answering.

"I am indeed, my lord. I can't even remember the last time we had a party of this magnitude in our estate," Lucy said. As soon as the words slipped past her lips, she wished she hadn't said anything at all. The last thing she wanted was for the Duke to pry about her mother's death. It would just make the rest of her time at the party completely unbearable.

But the Duke picked up on the sadness in Lucy's voice and placed a greasy hand on hers in an odd form of affection. Lucy glared down at the hand as if it was a nasty insect that needed to be squashed but briskly changed her face to an expression of kindness.

"Your father told me about your unfortunate loss," he said softly. "I promise you, my mother will be the best mother-in-law she can possibly be. She might even be as great as your mother. She'll be a wonderful replacement."

Lucy wanted desperately to seize the chicken the Duke was eating and slap him across the face with it. Luckily, she was able to restrain herself by clenching her right hand into a tight fist though it pained her to hold it.

This _Duke_ was a disgusting, ugly, impossibly rude pig and Lucy couldn't believe her father thought this marriage would work.

 _But then again, he's not thinking of_ your _happiness_ , Lucy thought. _He's more concerned with the Heartfilia Family line than even his own daughter's well-being._

When the Duke had finished his meal, he asked Lucy to dance again though they spent more time talking than waltzing. The Duke also seemed very self-centered in only discussing matters involving him and barely asking Lucy anything about herself. She would have rather been in her room sticking pins into her eyes and ears than spending the night with this brute.

"Lucy-chama?" the Duke asked, stopping their dance. Lucy looked at him with confusion.

"Yes, my lord?" she replied.

"I've had a wonderful evening with you thus far, but I was hoping we could perhaps take some time for ourselves for a while," he suggested. Inside, Lucy's heart leapt for joy but she had to force herself to stay composed and even look a bit saddened by the Duke's request.

"Of course, my lord," she said with a curtsy. The Duke gently took her hand and kissed it, walking into the crowd of couples. Before making her getaway, Lucy made sure the Duke and her father were out of sight before spinning on her heels and walking as quickly to the stairs as she possibly could. Some of the guests watched her go with bewilderment but she offered them a kind smile that told them she would be returning soon. They nodded and continued with their conversations, leaving Lucy to bound up the stairs and rush into her bedroom again, locking the door.

As fast she could she unbuttoned the back of the dress and laid it out on her bed, walking over to her closet to choose a simple outfit for the circus. She settled on something she knew she would never be recognized in as her father only allowed her to wear respectable dresses, even on the property. She pulled out a white short-sleeved shirt with blue stripes crossing over her front and chest with a short blue skirt and a brown belt. As she pulled the shirt over her head and flipped the collar down, she stared at herself in the mirror and felt a bit more comfortable wearing such casual attire, a much needed change from her constant dress-wearing.

But she knew she would never be able to sneak out looking just like that. So, once she had finished dressing herself with a pair of knee-length black boots and packed her leather bag with her and her mother's astrology notes, she cautiously opened the door to her bedroom and slinked down the left hallway where she would enter the attic. As silently as she could, Lucy came down to the end of the hallway where the latch door on the ceiling resided. She jumped up, grabbed the chain, and yanked on it, allowing for the stairs to descend and grant her access to the long-forgotten floor of the house.

Lucy always thought the reason her father never went up in the attic was because a lot of her mother's belongings had been stored up there after she died. Everything from her clothes to her old piano books had been packed away in boxes and thrown up inside the dark, dusty attic, never to be used again. It was almost as if her father was just trying to forget her mother even existed.

Climbing up the stairs, Lucy was able to find the chain that flipped the single lightbulb on in the room. The room having been illuminated, Lucy immediately spotted the area of the attic where all her mother's belongings now resided. At the very back, Lucy saw the large, long bureau Layla used to place all the styrofoam heads which would keep the wigs from knotting or strands from fall out. Lucy took a quick glance down the hallway again to make sure no one had come up the stairs and walked towards her.

Though she had presumed her father had just thrown everything up in the attic, Lucy was surprised to see the bureau was organized just as her mother had kept it when she was alive. The wigs were all lined up by hairstyle (long to short) and in front of the mirror were her various combs and brushes she used. The chair Layla sat in had even been slid into place. Lucy stared at all the wigs and smiled, remembering the days her mother let her help in picking out the one she would wear for that week. Lucy carefully took a seat in the chair and let her fingers glide over the various pieces of hair until she found her personal favorite: the bobbed black wig. Her mother had only worn it a few times, claiming the dark color made her look even more sickly with her pale skin. But Lucy loved it on her mother. She thought it made her look even more beautiful.

So as not to move the styrofoam head too much, Lucy vigilantly removed the wig and pulled off the hairnet her mother stored underneath all the wigs so she would never lose them. The net was black just like the color of the hair and it only took Lucy a short moment to pull her hair back and slip it perfectly underneath the net. She loved watching her mother get ready for the day when she was younger; that's how she learned to put on her makeup, as well as how to put on fake hair.

Checking that not a strand of blonde hair was loose, Lucy bowed her head and flipped the wig on. After strapping the clip underneath the fake hair to keep it from falling off, Lucy lifted her head to look at herself in the mirror. When she took a glance, she almost didn't recognize herself: the dark color of her new hair made her skin even more pale, though the blush of her makeup helped to give her a little more color. But her eyes were what caught her off guard the most. The black of her hair made the brown in her irises lighten and sparkle, even hinting at a bit of gold she had never noticed before. Her heart ached at how much she thought she looked like her mother with her wig on.

Deciding she had already wasted enough time, Lucy gently pulled a comb through her new hair, stood from the chair, and headed back down the stairs. She took one last glance at the bureau to make sure she hadn't left anything out of place. Lucky for her, the wig she had taken was on the far end so anyone who wanted to check on them had to walk all the way into the attic to notice it was gone. Happy that her plan was going well thus far, Lucy hurried down the stairs, threw up the latch door, and walked back down the hallway to the top of the staircase. She tiptoed her way down the stairs and leaned her head out from the curve to see only a few stray guests were still standing in the lobby, sipping their drinks and laughing drunkenly. Fortunately, all their backs were to her so she only had to be sure she made no noise sneaking behind them and heading out the door. She continued down the steps as carefully as possible and placed one foot at a time down to the landing, tiptoeing behind the guests and crouching a bit to avoid being spotted by anyone else beyond the lobby. Once she made it past the guests and into the hallway leading down to the front door, Lucy broke into a run and yanked on the handle of the huge door. She slowly poked her head out the door and saw only the carriages parked outside the mansion with the drivers probably having retreated to the tent for something to eat and drink. Taking the opportunity of no one hanging around, Lucy closed the door behind her and walked over to one of the horses strapped to a four-team attached to a large carriage, which she presumed to be the Duke's from the large size and a family crest adorned on one of the doors.

"How about a nice run, huh?" she asked, gently stroking one of the horse's nose. He whinnied under her hand and Lucy worked fast to unhook the stead from the carriage. The other horse's began to stomp in protest but Lucy gently shushed them, pulling her chosen stallion to the opening of the loop where all the carriages had been parked.

"I've only ever ridden a horse side saddled so be careful with me, okay?" Lucy whispered to the horse who snorted in reply. Lucy stood beside the animal, took a running start, and hopped on top of the horse, adjusting her skirt. She grabbed the reins and gripped them tightly in her sweaty hands, adrenaline pumping through her body. The horse gently galloped around in a circle for Lucy to get used to his movements and she very softly kicked her boot heel into his side.

"Let's go, boy," she said, the horse taking off down the road. The wind whipped around them so viciously, Lucy thought her wig would fly off for sure. She wanted to hold onto it but she didn't dare let go of the reins at the speed they were going. Taking a quick glance behind her, Lucy was surprised to see how far they were from the mansion. She let out a nervous laugh and whipped the horses reins as a signal for him to ride faster. The horse picked up more speed and they were soon taking the trail beyond the mountain, coming to the side of Acalypha. The setting eight o'clock sun casted beautiful shadows of purple and red along the buildings in the town.

Once Lucy knew she was safe from being stopped, she pulled back on the horses reins and guided him through the town. Yesterday afternoon, Lucy had read on the poster the circus would be taking place on the beach. She lead the horse through the town and turned him to the right, towards the the seashore. The sound of the horse's footfalls filled the silent town and Lucy's eyes widened when she saw the line of patrons waiting to enter the big top. It stretched all the way from the ticket booth to the middle of the beach where some curious townspeople eyed Lucy oddly as she descended from her horse. There was a tall, black gate surrounding the area where the circus had been set up with a black sheath covering the inside of it so no one could sneak a peak beforehand. But the dazzling lights leaking from the top promised everyone awaiting to enter the time of their lives.

"I'll just tie you here," she said, wrapping the horse's rein on a railing of wood. She patted the horse's nose and walked over to the line of people who snapped their heads back to the front. Lucy came to stand behind a woman who offered her a kind smile.

"Excited for the carnival?" she asked. Lucy nodded vehemently.

"Very much so! It's my first circus so I'm extremely thrilled," she explained. The woman smiled again and pointed to the tall wheel moving mechanically against the sunset.

"My favorite part is the ferris wheel," the woman said. "I love the view from up top."

"I've never been on one before but I've read about them," Lucy said. The woman looked back at her and gave her an odd look. Lucy laughed and stretched the back of her neck. "I mean… I've never lived in a town where circuses were common. I—I'm just visiting Acalypha and I knew I had to come see this for myself." The woman nodded.

"I see," she said. She made a show to look behind Lucy and shifted her eyes back to her.

"Don't you have any family that wanted to come, too?" she asked.

"No," she replied, a little sullen. "I wanted to come by myself." The woman noticed Lucy's saddened expression and quickly changed the subject.

"Well, I heard the best part is going to see their famous Dragon as part of the closing ceremony!" she said. Lucy's eyes widened and her happy mood returned.

"Really?! Has this circus traveled all over Fiore?" she asked.

"I suppose so. I also heard a rumor that this is their last show for a while," the woman explained. "I guess they take the rest of the summer to go to Magnolia to practice their performances."

"We're all pretty lucky, then," Lucy added.

"Indeed we are!"

Suddenly, while Lucy and the kind woman continued to laugh, some eager patrons began to clap excitedly. Lucy and the woman turned towards the front of the line where they could see a short man climbing on top of the ticket booth with what appeared to be a or megaphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" the old man's voice boomed through the audience. "Welcome to the magical and wonderful circus known only as Fairy Tail!" The crowd cheered and clapped in delight.

"Prepare yourself for astounding shows, spectacular sights, and exhilarating magic, now that our famous circus is officially open for business!" Again, the crowd whooped and hollered their anticipation at the old man's words. "Please remain in line and await your turn to purchase a ticket and enter our show. Thank you!"

The old man descended from the roof and made his way back inside. As quickly as he returned inside the booth, the line began to move at a fast rate as the patrons received their tickets and entered the gated circus.

"This is so exciting!" the woman said cheerily. Lucy was at a loss for words when she saw how fast she became the next person in line to pay for her ticket. The woman handed the old man her money and he handed her the ticket through the slit underneath the glass separating him from the customers. She waved goodbye to Lucy as she ran inside the circus, the gates automatically parting at her movement.

"Good evening," the old man said as Lucy approached the booth. He was a very aged man with wrinkles all along his face with a mustache under his nose and he sported a large bald spot but there was still some white hair on each side of his head.

"Hello," Lucy replied, digging through her purse for a good amount of money. She slipped the money to the man and he replaced it with a ticket. Lucy graciously took the piece of paper and stared at it for a moment with its golden color and the words _FAIRY TAIL_ written in orange cursive writing. Lucy gently placed the ticket inside her purse and looked up to see the old man gesturing for her to step in front of the giant black gate doors. Sensing her movement, a bright green light blinked on Lucy's right side and the gates swung open to allow her to enter. For a moment she just stood in the entrance, her ears filling with the joyous sounds of the circus and the laughter of people young and old. She closed her eyes and sighed, the laughter and carnival music filling her mind and body.

"Miss?" the old man in the booth said, having opened the side door to take a glance at Lucy. She snapped her head back to him and felt the blush rising in her cheeks. She also noticed how incredibly short the man was, though he was dressed elegantly in a blue and white shirt with black pants and a cape trimmed with fur, the Fairy Tail insignia sewed on his chest to the right.

"You can go inside now," he said gently.

"Oh, yes, of course," Lucy stammered, tucking a black strand of hair behind her ear and taking her first step into the circus. She could hear the old man laughing as she entered and even as the gates groaned, closing behind her.

If Lucy hadn't already been able to hear the sounds of the circus outside the gated area she most definitely could hear it all now. Upon stepping inside the large carnival, Lucy was taken away by the breathtaking arrangement of the show. A beautiful carousel was set up for all patrons to see when they entered, spinning with the colorful horses, unicorns, mermaids, lions, and lambs. Small children and their parents rode the magnificent piece of art with the calliope playing soft music as the ride twirled round and round. Concession stands selling popcorn and cotton candy stood a few feet away from the carousel, its wheels dug deeply into the sand to prevent it from falling over. Lucy's stomach growled a bit but she knew there had to be more food stands placed around the circus: right then, she was set on seeing as many shows as possible.

Tents of varying sizes and colors were scattered all around, alluring patrons in with signs detailing which shows they had inside. But some were being performed outside as well, and Lucy caught a glimpse of a shining sword fly up in the air with shouts of excitement following its descent. She immediately made a run through the sand to see what all the fuss was about, bypassing the carousel and making a left between two tents. In the space separating the two was a long and spacious wooden platform with a sign placed above it, the words _The Amazing Titania, Erza_ flashing in red and blue lights. Below the sign and standing atop the makeshift stage was an incredibly beautiful woman with long, red hair, styled in large bun sitting atop her head while the rest of her hair hung down to her waist. The woman wore a beautiful purple kimono bespeckled with lilac-colored flowers and a dark purple belt wrapped around her thin waist with a giant bow tied at the back, reenforced by a thin light brown string. The robe came up mid-thigh, a dangerously short length, though she wore high brown boots. The garment was tied around her neck and showed off the size of her chest, the long, billowing sleeves tied to her arms by ribbon colored the same as the belt reenforcement.

Lucy gawked at Erza's beauty as she bowed with two swords in hand. The menacing weapons were designed with zigzagging black and silver colors going down the blade to the sharp point. She smiled and turned her head to the blue-haired man standing off to the side, near the back of the stage where a curtain sectioned it off. He clapped along with the audience and moved to the front of the stage as Erza went to hide behind the curtain.

"Wasn't she amazing, folks?!" the blue-haired man asked, getting the crowd to applaud even louder. Some of the men in the audience whistled their pleasure and Lucy could see the man's face harden, even from her distance.

"And now, please encourage our terrifying Titania as she performs her most dangerous and death-defying stunt ever to be showcased at our circus!" the man said, pausing for dramatic effect. "Heaven's Wheel!"

Just as swiftly as she had disappeared behind the curtain, Erza ran out from behind the red tapestry and jumped into the air to front flip back on the stage, sporting a new, heavy-looking armor. This one was made entirely of silver metal, a feather designed breastplate covering her chest with a blue stone in the middle and large wings stretching out behind her, attached to her back and strapped to the sides of her body. Her skirt flowed at the bottom though it was covered with a metal sheath at her waist, exposing her midriff. Underneath her skirt were two silver boots adorned with metal wings spreading out from her heels and pointed at the toe. Erza's hair was now completely free and flowing behind her, a headband wrapped underneath her bangs that gave her the appearance of an angel with the silver feathers poking out from under her bright red hair. She also gripped two different swords with the design of feathers on the handles and blue adornments on the blades, her arms and hands protected by long sleeves of metal gloves gripping her skin with intertwining straps scaling up to her shoulders. Erza looked like a military-clad angel of war.

With very little effort, despite how heavy her new armor appeared, Erza jumped high in the air, her wings flapping with great effort to keep her from falling back on the stage which was now a good ten feet below her.

"Dance, my swords," Erza commanded, spreading her arms and swords out to her sides. The man on stage quickly moved to the rack of weapons and carefully threw up sixteen blades in total towards Erza who moved them into a giant circle around her with slow movements of the weapons already gripped in her hands. Once all sixteen swords had been placed, Erza closed her eyes in concentration and the circle of weapons began spinning rapidly, creating a blue ring flashing at all sides.

"Circle Sword!" Erza shouted, raising her two swords above her head and slashing them across her body. The ring of sixteen swords then shifted to become a disk enclosing Erza in the middle until it bursted outward, sending each of the swords flying into the audience. Some of the patrons became scared and looked around the audience, Lucy included. But upon seeing Erza's calm face as well as the man on stage, it appeared everyone knew the dangerously enclosing weapons were all part of the act. Steadily, each of the swords came to land in between the awestruck townspeople, proving to be not the least bit threatening as they safely stuck themselves into the sand.

After all of the swords fell into the earth, Erza landed heavily back on the wooden platform, the audience completely silent from shock. When Erza placed a foot in front of her and took a bow the audience finally applauded, cheering and screaming her name at the marvelous spectacle.

"The amazing Erza!"

"The terrifying Titania!"

"Incredible!"

"Imagine if anyone had moved!"

"We would've been skewered!"

Lucy gaped in awe as the beautiful Erza smiled for the crowd and gestured with an arm for her assistant to join her but he simply stood next to her to clap for her as well. Lucy smiled brightly and clapped as hard as she could in congratulations, the crowd slowly dissipating as Erza turned to go back behind the curtain.

"Thank you, ladies and gentlemen!" the man said through the microphone once again. "And please don't forget to stick around for later this evening when our troupers bid you all goodnight with our closing ceremony, beginning with Fairy Tail's very own Dragon, Natsu! Enjoy the rest of your night!"

The man stepped down from the stage and began walking around to grab the swords from the ground, catching Lucy's eyes as she was the only person left standing in front of the stage.

"That was amazing!" she gushed. Up close, Lucy could see the blue-haired man had a strange red tattoo from the top of his left eyebrow to the middle of his left cheek. He tucked the swords under his arm, his upper body protected with a long breastplate decorated with the Fairy Tail insignia, and smiled at Lucy.

"Thank you," he replied. "Erza will be out in a moment if you'd like to congratulate the real performer. I'm just her assistant."

"Jellal?" The stern but kind voice of Erza startled Lucy whose face began to burn as the amazing swordswoman descended from the stage and came towards Lucy and her assistant—Jellal. Without her armor on, Erza's body was very curvaceous but hardened with muscles that appeared on her arms and legs. She wore a short sleeved white shirt with ruffles down the front, a blue bowtie underneath the collar, and a matching blue skirt that came down to almost the upper part of her knees with black-heeled boots folded at the top, reaching up only a few inches from her skirt.

"T—that was amazing, Ms. Erza!" Lucy stammered, clutching her hands and bringing them to her chest. Erza smiled and folded her arms under her chest, clearly enjoying the praise.

"Thank you," she replied. "I was quite nervous about performing that last segment but it turned out perfect." She turned to Jellal with a grin who smiled back and nodded in agreement.

"Well, I just wanted to say how incredible I thought your show was," Lucy said, becoming a little uncomfortable as Erza and Jellal continued to stare at each other. Erza snapped herself back to Lucy and blushed from embarrassment.

"T—thank you again, Miss—um…" she began, gesturing for Lucy to give her name. Not wanting give her identity away, Lucy quickly blurted out the name, "Layla", hoping neither Erza nor Jellal would recognize the name from around town.

"Well, Layla," Erza began again, "I appreciate your comment. It's always wonderful to hear from the audience personally after the show.

"But I can assure you, I'm not the only incredible performer here. In fact, I'm pretty sure Gray and Juvia's performance is going on right," she said, looking to Jellal for conformation. He nodded and Erza smiled back at Lucy.

"Great! Thank you and I hope to see you again," Lucy said.

"Have a good night, Layla," Erza said in reply, turning on her heel and heading behind the stage. Jellal was quick to follow and Lucy shifted her head to her right to see the icy blue tent Erza's stage stood next to, a large sign read _The Water and Ice Lovers Duo_ in blue-painted cursive. Lucy remembered the flyer describing the two's names as Gray and Juvia, the two Erza had just mentioned.

Lucy couldn't wait to witness another astounding show.

 **A/N:** I really hope you guys loved this chapter as much I loved writing it. Chapter 5 will be up this time next week  & please leave me a review because it always means so much to me. And thank you all so much for supporting me thus far. It truly means the world!


	5. Chapter 5 - The Goodnight Ceremony

**TO MY READERS:  
** Here is Chapter 5! I hope you all enjoy it & I'm sorry for posting so late. It's finals week so I've been struggling to find time to write as well as study. So, without further ado, here is the fifth installment of _Love Amongst the Stars_!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **V - The Goodnight Ceremony**_

Lucy stood in front of the blue tent to stare at the intricate white icicle design which decorated it. Even from outside she could hear the cheers of the gathered audience inside and her heart pounded. She could only imagine what kind of spectacle she was about to witness after Erza's incredible demonstration.

Stepping to move inside the tent, Lucy carefully parted the two curtains and revealed the large inside of the big top: there were dozens of rows of wooden benches where patrons sat and awaited for the show to begin. Lucy noticed a seat in the back next to a family and walked to the spot to sit. The mother of the family looked up at Lucy as she moved to sit down and offered a kind smile which the mother returned quickly. As soon as Lucy sat on the bench, the lights in the tent dimmed and a large spotlight lit the stage in the front.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice sounded, filling the tent. "Please give a warm welcome to the amazing duo of love, the Ice King, Gray Fullbuster, and his Water Queen, Juvia Lockser!"

The black curtain lifted off the ground and two figures stepped out, dressed brightly and beautifully. The long, blue-haired girl who Lucy figured to be Juvia wore a tightly wrapped light blue fabric around her chest with black and gold embellishments and a soft pink headdress tinkling with teardrop crystals. Her long, light blue skirt was slitted on either side of her legs all the way up to her hips and was decorated with gems of almost every color of blue and tied to her waist with a shimmering gold belt. She also wore an immense amount of jewelry: her neck was covered with a golden choker and a small necklace decorated with the same gems as her skirt and on her arms and wrists she donned bracelets and golden armbands. Around her stomach was a golden chain with a single blue gem that rested in her belly button and she only wore anklets above her feet. Juvia beamed as she stepped out in front of the audience, her outfit twinkling in the spotlight and the gems making the sound of dripping water as she moved.

While his partner appeared onstage scantly dressed, Gray Fullbuster came out in a similar fashion; he was shirtless with only a black and white cape covering his shoulders and coming up to the top of his neck, but wore large, long, black harem trousers ornamented with icy blue designs all around. He, too, wore a golden choker but that was the only piece of jewelry Lucy could see on him. With his midnight black hair spiked atop his head and blue eyes, Gray seemed like the kind of guy any girl would go mad over. But when he stepped in front of the audience next to his partner, he gave a small grin and a look in his eyes he could only ever share with Juvia who blushed and smiled back at him in return. It was clear the two most certainly had feelings for each other and it made Lucy smile.

Breaking their gaze, Juvia and Gray stared at the back of the crowd and raised their arms high. Following their movement, four long dark and icy blue streams shot out from behind the curtain, swirling at their sides. The two slowly shifted their arms, almost as if they were dancing and, in turn, the orbs whirled around the expanse of the stage, combining and mixing with each other. At some points, either Gray or Juvia would move a certain way and the spheres gathered together to create waves, sea creatures, castles, flowers, or any other objects the couple could think of.

Preceding the short art show, the blue-colored orbs gathered around Juvia and Gray, blurring their bodies as the streams obscured them from the audience. Juvia was the first to step out from the swirl of color and as she did the dark blue streams came behind her, her arms stretched at her back and her body dipping over the knee of her one extended leg, causes the streams swirl about. Gray brought both arms up to his side, his icy blue colors spinning around his arms so fast it looked like they were becoming sleeves. Juvia gracefully stepped forward and slowly brought one arm in front of her, guiding her colors towards Gray. She quickly swung her other arm out at Gray and the streams bolted at him and he swung his arms up in front of him in an X, shattering the streams Juvia shot at him.

The streams broke apart and appeared like droplets of water surrounding Gray as he lowered his arms. In response to her attack, Gray smirked and swung one arm in front of him, sending both his own stream and Juvia's back at her. She let out a gasp as it came at her but she didn't move or do anything to block the attack. Instead she let the torrents enclose her, hiding her from the audience as the streams swirled around her.

After a while, Gray lifted his arm up above his head and with it the circle of raging streams bowed underneath Juvia who was lifted from the ground. The audience gasped as Juvia appeared asleep in the middle of the swirl of color, Gray acting as the only catalyst preventing Juvia from falling hard on the stage. Lucy's eyes widened as she watched in awe, the streams swirling in disks around Juvia as she slept.

Gray moved his arm in front of him, bringing Juvia and the streams toward him. Juvia, suspended and still, was slowly lowered into Gray's arms as he held them out below her. She landed softly in his embrace and her eyes slowly fluttered open. Upon lifting her head, the crowd began to cheer and Gray allowed Juvia to stand on her own again. Next to each other once again, Gray and Juvia swung their arms to their sides and sent the colorful orbs out to the audience. The spectators gasped as the small spheres danced around them, giving the sounds of waves as they flew around the tent. Lucy peeled her eyes away from the orbs and noticed Gray and Juvia raise their arms over their heads, sending the spheres up to the ceiling of the tent. Once they were all gathered, the orbs burst and multicolored droplets of water drizzled down on the audience who held out their hands to catch it. Lucy followed suit and the water that feel from the ceiling appeared in her hand as glittery drops of colorful rain.

Everyone immediately whipped their heads back to Gray and Juvia who had bowed in front of them, waiting for the applause. The crowd clapped loudly and whistled their appraisal, the couple looking back to each other as they straightened up.

"That was beautiful!"

"Probably one of the best shows I've seen in a long time."

"Incredible! How on earth did they do that?"

The tent was alive with the excited chatter of the patrons and as Gray and Juvia receded underneath the curtain, the people cheered louder one last time before the tapestry was lowered back down. As the ovation settled down, the individuals gathered their friends and family and headed back outside the tent in search of the next show.

Since she had entered the circus and in the time she had spent watching two performances, Lucy saw the sun had completely vanished and twilight was descending on the town. But with the sparkling lights illuminating the circus, it was hard to believe it was nighttime. The carousel was dotted with bright bulbs flashing different colors as it spun around and the ferris wheel was a light show in and of itself with interchanging bursts of colors displayed from the middle to the ends of the wheel. The tents were separated by the spotlights dug into the ground around them casting different hues depending on the shows taking place inside. Lucy turned around and saw Gray and Juvia's tent was light blue at the top and slowly cascaded down to a dark blue at the bottom.

Lucy looked about, trying to decide where she would go next since it was beginning to get so late. The last thing she wanted was for her father to suddenly realize she escaped and come looking for her. Glancing a few feet away on her left side, Lucy's eyes were caught by a sparkling cherry brown tent which drew her almost immediately. Curious as to what kind of spectacle would be inside, Lucy made her way towards the dark tent. Though her destination was a little ways away, Lucy saw no one step inside through the two curtains. Once she came to the front, she pulled back the fabric and stepped into the interior with star-shaped lights hanging from the ceiling, creating a soft-lit atmosphere. The walls on the inside were more of a cherry color t and even though there were at least four lights suspended above, the fabric on the ceiling covered strings of lights which cast the cherry hue everywhere. In the middle of the tent was a circle of pillows surrounding a large crystal ball placed on a small table, two lines of cards, and an odd board marked with strange writings.

 _Ah_ , Lucy thought. _This is the fortune tellers tent_.

"Has someone— _hick_ —entered?" a voice called from somewhere inside the tent. Lucy whipped her head around to catch the owner of the voice and her eyes fell on a breathtakingly beautiful woman standing off to the left, pulling away the curtain to a backroom.

The woman's long brown hair had a large bun tied atop her head but the rest of her wavy hair fell down beyond her shoulders. She wore a white, off-shouldered top with a brown corset coming below her chest and tied in place with string. Her wore a golden-charmed choker bedazzled with intricate charms Lucy couldn't really see from where she stood, as well as a golden band on her right arm. The woman's skirt started just below a belt, a golden color with brown outlines of flowers all the way down to the bottom and one long slit up the skirt, revealing a pair of brown leggings underneath. On her feet, the woman wore a pair of simple brown sandals and her ankles were decorated with golden anklets bedazzled with purple stones.

"Um…yes. I'm sorry, are you not accepting patrons?" Lucy asked, stepping behind her to move to the exit.

"Oh, of course I am!" the woman replied fairly loudly, stumbling forward. It was then Lucy realized she had a large bottle of booze in her hand and, as she came closer, Lucy could see her cheeks were red, the smell of alcohol heavy on her breath. "Come, come. Come and I, Cana Alberona, will tell of your future!" Lucy vaguely remembered seeing Cana's name mentioned on the flyer and was immediately enchanted by her whimsical manner, though the fact she was a drunk gave Lucy the feeling her future wouldn't be so accurate.

"Come, my dear," Cana incited, gently taking Lucy's hand in hers. The mysterious brunette led Lucy to the circle of pillows where she gestured for her to sit. Lucy chose a lilac colored pillow with matching fringes along the edges, the seat closest to Cana who sat in front of her crystal ball. Carefully, she removed the ball and its pedestal from the small table and replaced it with the tall stack of cards on Cana's left. Upon setting the cards in the middle of the table, Cana sat herself down on the large pillow reserved for herself.

"Now, would you like a palm reading or a tarot reading?" Cana asked, her glassy eyes becoming a bit clearer as she started getting serious.

"A tarot reading would be interesting," Lucy said, her excitement brimming. Cana smiled and shuffled her cards.

"I was hoping you would say that. I just need to know your name," she said, fanning out the cards in her hands. Lucy's face turned a bit red at having to lie again about who she was.

"Layla," she replied. Cana's head snapped up and she scrutinized Lucy who had to force her calm demeanor. Though it was obvious Cana could tell Lucy wasn't telling the truth, she let it go and continued with the reading to Lucy's relief.

"Alright, _Layla_ ," Cana said, putting unnecessary emphasis on Lucy's alias. "Choose five cards, please." Cana held the fanned out cards to Lucy who chose the five cards one at a time and placed them in front of her. After having chosen her cards, Cana placed the rest on her right and moved to start Lucy's reading.

"Okay, now please turn them over for me," Cana instructed, leaning on her arms to see the cards. Lucy carefully flipped them over, different pictures drawn on each one. Once she was finished, Cana gazed at them in deep concentration, Lucy sitting patiently as she watched Cana stare at the cards.

"Very interesting," she finally said. "Very interesting indeed." Cana crossed her arms and leaned back, nodding.

"What?" Lucy asked, her curiosity making her fidget. Cana looked back at Lucy and placed her finger down on the first card which was decorated with an old man sitting in a silver chair, wearing a crown and a red robe. Oddly enough, the card as well as the fourth one was facing Cana while the rest were turned towards Lucy.

"This first card which is describing your current situation is called the Emperor. Usually it means there is a kind, protective man in your life—most likely a father—but when reversed like it is now it means the man is very restricting, can be cruel, and rules with an iron fist." Lucy raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes, pursing her lips as she thought of her father. Cana raised her own eyebrow in question. "Sound like someone you know?"

"It describes him to a tee," Lucy replied monotony. Sensing Lucy's sudden mood change, Cana decided to continue with the reading rather than pry for more information.

"This next one," she said, pointing to a card that pictured a naked woman pouring a small jug of water into a river and another onto grass against a dark blue sky scattered with stars, "tells of what your inclinations are. This particular one is called the Star and in its current position, it says you are hoping for a soul revival or you are seeking peace.

"The third one here, predicting something unforeseen to you, is known as the Lovers," Cana continued, narrowing her eyes at Lucy mischievously. Lucy felt her face heat up at what the card could be hinting at: surely it wouldn't have anything to do with the awful Duke. "Obviously, it means there could be a romance in your future or the formation of friendship bonds." Lucy bowed her head to take a longer look at the card and saw a naked man and woman standing opposite each other underneath a red-winged angel whose arms were held out in a blessing motion.

"The fourth card describes of what will happen fairly quickly in your future and, like the first one, you can see it's flipped away from you. This card is called the _Moon_ and when it's reversed it means something will happen to set you free of something which is making you feel sorrow or something you that frightens you.

"And finally, we have your conclusion," Cana said, pointing to an ominous-looking card with a skeleton wearing silver armor and riding a red-eyed horse. Lucy gasped, leaning back suddenly.

"I'm going to _die_?!" she shouted, throwing her hand up to her heart in distress. Cana laughed and slapped her bent knee, clearly getting a real kick out of Lucy's shock.

"There are different meanings to the _Death_ card than its title, Layla," she replied after composing herself. "It means something new is about to begin for you or a much needed change is going to occur which will lead you down a new path. Perhaps a path you've desired to travel down for a long time."

Lucy hunched herself back over the table, examining the cards. She was very impressed at how accurate they had been and the order in which they took place. But the one card that set her on edge was the Lovers: was it hinting at her future with the Duke, telling her it wouldn't be so bad? Or was it saying there was something completely new in store for her?

"Well, I hate to say this, but I have to close up shop," Cana said, clearing the line of cards in a sweeping motion of her hand. Lucy's head snapped up, watching Cana organizing her things and getting ready to close her tent.

"Already?" Lucy asked, disappointed. "Oh god, what time is it?!" she panicked, scrambling to look outside to check for the moon since she had forgotten her watch.

"It's almost ten. The circus closes at ten fifteen after the goodnight ceremony," Cana explained, cleaning up her room and gathering the pillows.

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped, standing and running towards the exit of the tent. "I have to get home!"

"Oh, Layla, you should at least stay for the goodnight ceremony!" Cana called after her. "It would be a shame if you were to miss such a spectacular sight." Though she was very intrigued, Lucy reluctantly shook her head as she desperately thought of an excuse.

"I can't. I had a curfew half an hour ago and my father is very strict," she replied. Cana raised an eyebrow, giving Lucy the sense she knew more than she would lead Lucy to believe.

"Well, if you must," she sighed. "But you should come back to see Natsu. He's the best part of the show." Cana winked and headed behind the curtain separating the backroom of the tent. Lucy sighed but ran back outside, looking around frantically in search of the exit.

The night had gotten considerably darker and even with the lanterns hanging above on poles to keep the circus lit, Lucy was having a hard time orienting herself. Add the fact there was so many people gathering to the middle of the camp for the ceremony and Lucy was beginning to experience a panic attack. The last thing she wanted was for her father to notice her long absence and go looking for her on the property only to discover she wasn't there. Knowing Jude Heartfilia, he would gather together a team of Acalypha's finest law enforcers to establish a manhunt for her.

As she pushed her way through the thickening crowd of patrons, Lucy tried to keep herself calm as she made her way to what she thought to be the exit. It was becoming harder and harder for her to find the gates she entered through and then, without any warning, the lanterns flickered out all at once, pulling the circus and the patrons into pitch blackness.

"No!" Lucy screamed, though her plea was quickly mixed in with the cheering audience as they awaited for the ceremony to begin.

"Excuse me! Please, get out of my way!" Lucy said, elbowing her way through the crowd, eliciting some angered huffs and rude comments. But she couldn't be bothered: she had to find the exit and she had to do it _fast_.

Suddenly, a burst of orange and red light erupted from Lucy's right followed by the gasps from the audience. Lucy couldn't help but turn her head to see a tall boy standing on a high platform in between to large pots of flicking fire. The new stage had probably been raised when the lanterns went out, since Lucy couldn't remember it being there previously. Almost as rapidly as it had come over her, the panic washed away from Lucy as she slowly stopped her feet from moving to get a better look at the fire-breathing boy: the most entrancing feature was his long, spiky hair, strange for the cherry-blossom pink color. The boy, Natsu, was shirtless with his tan, chiseled chest and abs in full view for the audience. At his waist, he wore a pair of harem trousers similar to Gray's though instead of the icy embellishments, Natsu had fire designs running up the sides and a worn brown belt to keep them up. As Lucy took in the sight of the famous Dragon, her stomach tingled and she felt odd; not panicky, but calm, as though the sight of this strange boy relaxed her for reasons Lucy couldn't give cause to.

Now that he had the audience in the palm of his hands, Natsu let out a laugh that contradicted his tough-guy physique. He spread out his arms and crossed them down in front of him, pulling out two long strings with black balls at the end. Natsu extended his arms again and let the ends of the string touch the tops of the flames in the clay pots, allowing them to catch fire. Having lit them to his satisfaction, Natsu came to the edge of the stage and began whipping and swinging the strings around his body with expert precision, keeping his face serious as he watched his movements carefully so as not to set himself or anyone else on fire. The crowd continued to cheer on Natsu who cracked a small smile but remained cool as he brought the two strings together in front of him and spun them forward, allowing for them to intertwine and become one. After having successfully tied the two strings together without breaking stride, Natsu lowered one arm and began a one-handed spectacle as he swung the string in front of him, around his body, and above his head. Not once did Natsu break his concentration and Lucy couldn't help but find herself completely entranced.

As the fire began to burn itself out, Natsu threw the string up into the night sky and let the flame die out in the air. He stared at it as it came falling back down and he jumped into the air, spinning around to kick the string with his foot straight into the clay pot on his left. Once he landed back on the stage, the audience erupted with excitement from his show but Natsu shook his head, indicating his part of the circus was far from over.

"Happy!" he shouted, calling forth a short blue-haired boy from somewhere off the stage. The boy was dressed in the same style pants as his partner but he was wearing a closed vest despite Natsu's bare-chested choice. As he ran onto stage, Happy carried with him an armful of black balls which he evenly distributed into the pots of fire.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Natsu exclaimed as Happy worked fast on the stage to set up for the next part of his act. "I would just like to take a moment to say under no circumstances should anyone try this at home. I have been training most of my life and no amateur should ever attempt at such dangerous tricks like the ones I will be performing this evening. And I should also warn you," he said, looking out into the audience with his sly black eyes, "this next part isn't for the faint of heart."

Lucy gawked at Natsu's confidence and she could've sworn, for a moment, it appeared as though he had laid his eyes on her as Happy hustled in front of him. She blushed feverishly and Natsu smirked, bringing his eyes to his young assistant who was standing at the ready.

The two immediately started out by doing some simple back and front flips that got the audience cheering as they jumped higher in the air to spin around like gymnasts. After touching down from an air spin, Natsu and Happy landed with bent knees and their arms sticking out in front of their bodies, staring knowingly at each other. They both took synched steps into a run as they headed to their respective flaming pot and reached their hands inside the burning flames to retrieve the orbs Happy had thrown in just a few moments before. The crowd gasped at how seamlessly the pair grabbed the fiery spheres and when they began to juggle them. Natsu and Happy continued to move in perfect synchronicity as they stood to face the crowd, performing different tricks with the orbs as they juggled them around themselves. Getting closer to the edge of the stage, they faced each other once again and began throwing the orbs at each other back and forth. The crowd hollered and began to cheer wildly as Natsu and Happy bounced the spheres to each other without breaking their concentration.

Then, as he handed the last of his orbs to Happy, Natsu stood straight and tall and allowed Happy to juggle the orbs for some time until he began throwing them back at Natsu. But Natsu didn't try to catch them like he had before: instead, he stared at each one in concentration as they flew at him, opening his mouth wide to catch the flaming round things. Without a single indication of pain, Natsu gobbled up the flames as though they were a meal and he clutched his arms into himself, his hands balled into fists. A moment later, Natsu began spitting up the fire in small spurts of fireworks that quickly evaporated into the sky. The patrons continued to clap and cheer, though Lucy could only gawk. Once the last of the flames had escaped Natsu's body he swiveled on his foot and spread his arms to the audience, opening his mouth to reveal an unscathed tongue.

At the indication of the end of his show an explosion of brightly colored fireworks erupted above the circus, broadcasting the Fairy Tail insignia up into the air along with the traditional swirls and patterns of pyrotechnics. As the rest of the crowd around her gawked at the amazing display of lights, Lucy continued to stare at Natsu who rushed off the stage with Happy, a huge, stupid grin on his face. When Natsu and Happy had left the stage, Lucy saw the rest of the circus performers come up onto the stage in their beautiful outfits, some of whom Lucy had seen. She was able to recognize Erza in her military angel armor as well as Gray, Juvia, and Cana. But other troupers came out as well: two white-haired women and a white-haired main, a long, curly brunette with glasses, a small girl with long, blue hair accompanied by another small girl with long white hair, two tough-looking men—one with short, spiky yellow hair and one with long, black hair and piercings all on his face—an older appearing woman with long, green hair and a rifle in her arms as well as a black-haired man who gazed at the woman as a lover would, and the short old man who gave Lucy her ticket earlier that evening. While the fireworks continued to go off, the people on stage smiled and waved goodnight to the audience. Just when it seemed the night was about to end, Natsu and Happy came from behind the crowd of performers and flipped their way in front of all of them, smiling widely. The patrons whooped even louder until the performers slowly walked off the stage, the back-most going first till it was just Natsu and Happy left again who ran off the platform.

Finally, the lanterns around the camp flickered back to life and everyone was drenched in light almost too suddenly to bare. Lucy shielded her eyes and struggled to remember why she had been all out of sorts earlier. Even when the memory came to her mind, she just didn't seem to care that much any longer. It was almost as if the sight of Natsu was enough to put her at ease. Now that the show had ended, the visitors of the circus began herding themselves towards the exit. Lucy's realization came back at how late it was but she wasn't as panicked as before. In fact, she was just contempt to walk at the slow pace of the other patrons as they made their way towards the gates.

Walking through the thicket of tents, Lucy's eye caught a particular one to her left she hadn't had the chance to visit before. However, unlike the other tents through the camp, the one she was staring at wasn't decorated or had a sign indicating which performance would be held inside: it was just a plain old, ordinary, black tent. Oddly enough, Lucy began to shift her way towards it and stood at its front, her curiosity too much to subside with just thoughts of what would be beyond the entrance. Letting it get the better of her, Lucy pulled back the black flaps and entered the dimly lit room. She looked around and noticed no chairs or stools or anything for people to sit on. But then she saw it: a gorgeous, wooden piano with old ivory keys placed in the middle of the tent. Lucy's eyes widened at the enticing sight of the lonely instrument no one would ever notice. Making sure no one had followed her inside, Lucy cautiously walked up to the piano and saw that instead of the company's name written in the swirling golden cursive on the front of the piano, it said _Euphony of the Fairies_.

Lucy's eyes hungrily took in the piano and she allowed her slim fingers to graze the soft, polished wood. Finding it more and more difficult to resist the urge, Lucy sat herself down on the wooden stool and removed the clear plastic covering which protected the keys from dust and other harmful particles. Her heartbeat quickened as she stared at the fragile object and finally allowed herself to place her fingers lightly on the keys, pressing down gently to produce the first sound of a song.

Completely enraptured with how the keys felt underneath her touch, Lucy began to play out the familiar tune of the first song her mother taught her to play, Sergei Rachmaninoff's arrangement of _Liebesleid_ or _Love's Sorrow_. Her heart and body warmed as she continued to let her fingers tickle the keys to the melody, pausing only at the appropriate times. Lucy even closed her eyes to submerge herself in the purely blissful sound of the old instrument. The piano didn't sound awful as she would've thought; in fact, it was so well-tuned, Lucy could think it was brand new if not for the obvious wear on the instrument. As she continued to play the comforting song, Lucy could once again feel her mother's presence as though she were sitting inside the tent, an avid listener to her daughter's playing. Unfortunately, Lucy neared the end of the song and she began to slow the pace down, letting her fingers linger on the keys just a few moments longer before she ended the song.

Slowly, Lucy opened her eyes and rested her hands on her lap, letting out a relaxed breath as her performance high died out. Suddenly, clapping sounded from behind her and Lucy jumped up from the stool, nearly knocking it over. When she was able to compose herself, she looked up and recognized the pink hair before she even saw the face it belonged to: the Dragon Natsu had heard Lucy play. For how long she didn't know, but she felt her face turn bright red anyways.

"That was beautiful," he said, smirking at Lucy's reaction. He was still shirtless and he stood with one leg crossed in front of the other, his arms folded over his bare chest.

"H—how long were you standing there?" Lucy asked, tucking a loose strand of black hair behind her ear. Instead of answering, Natsu walked up to Lucy and stood only a few inches from her. His handsome smirk quickly faded away and he stared at Lucy with hard eyes, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Long enough to know you are now considered a trespasser for staying on our private property longer than the allowed time," he said in a deep, whispery voice. Lucy's eyes widened but before she could bolt out from the tent, Natsu grabbed her hands and tied them together with a rope to restrain her and keep her from escaping.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," he said, taking hold of Lucy's wrist and pulling her behind him and out of the tent.

"B—but I…" Lucy stammered, unsure of what to say.

"If I were you, I wouldn't say anything," Natsu warned. "I would just keep quiet and see what the Master will do with you." Lucy's eyes widened in fear and she felt her heart and stomach drop.

There was now not even the slightest chance Lucy would be getting home.

 **A/N:** I just want to say how thankful I am for all of you that have supported this story. I'm really happy you all have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Also, please don't forget to leave a review!


	6. Chapter 6 - Prisoner of the Cirque

**TO MY READERS:  
** Chapter 6 is here! I'm not too pleased with this one but since I am on summer break now I plan on writing a lot more. I hope you guys like this week's installment and Chapter 7 will hopefully be up a little earlier than these past two weeks.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **VI - Prisoner of the Cirque**_

"Quit dragging ya feet, would ya?" Natsu growled. Lucy was desperately attempting to stick her feet into the sand to stop his quick pace as they walked through the empty circus, lit up only by the lanterns hanging above. Now the panic had returned and she was trying her best to get away from Natsu to return home.

"Please!" she cried, pulling her hands in front of her which dragged Natsu backward. He stopped for a moment and turned to face her. "Please, just let me go! I was leaving anyways and I wan't doing anything wrong. I'm _begging_ you. Let me go!"

Natsu stared at Lucy for a while, looking her over. She prayed her sad brown eyes would pull on some heartstring of his and when he got close to her again, she hoped it was for him to cut the rope. He was only a few inches from her face and he stared down to look deep into her eyes. Despite herself, Lucy felt her cheeks turn hot as the shirtless, handsome boy glared at her. A knowing glint flashed across his eyes and Lucy could've sworn she saw the corner of his lips turn up in a slight grin. He knew he was making her uncomfortable, and he liked it. Finally, though, he backed up a few inches and shook his head.

"Sorry," he replied, Lucy's hope deflating. "Anyone who disobeys the rules of our circus always needs to be reported. I don't know what your true intentions could have been."

"I'm telling you the truth! I had no other intentions other than to explore the circus," Lucy pleaded.

"Still gotta report you," Natsu said, shrugging his shoulders as though the two were having a casual conversation. He gently yanked on Lucy's makeshift handcuffs and continued to walk her to where the Master was.

Only a few minutes before the circus had been lit up like a gem but now that all the patrons had left and it was becoming late the spotlights on all the tents had been turned off. And even though the circus was surrounding by a tall automated gate, small metal gates had been placed around each tent—save for the one Lucy had been caught in—and were closed tightly by different types of locks. Lucy was extremely surprised at how guarded the circus was though Acalypha certainly didn't have much of a track record in the criminal category.

After trudging through the sand and trying not to fall on her face, Lucy and Natsu came to stand in front of a large tent taller than any of the others erected right in the middle of the camp. Lucy couldn't believe she hadn't seen it earlier, but she was able to muster it up to having been so enraptured with the performances.

"Come on in and make yourself at home," Natsu said as sarcastically as possible, causing Lucy to raise an eyebrow at his attitude.

The fabric of the tent made the structure appear like an actual building and at the very top was a large flag waving in the ocean breeze with the black Fairy Tail emblem against two stripes, one a dark and the other a light red, with golden embellishments and stripes at the end. Natsu pulled back the curtain and stepped inside the enormous tent, wooden tables and benches scattered about with a bar at the far back. The shelter was filled with people—performers and workers alike—who had come inside to celebrate the successful opening night of the circus. And once Natsu and Lucy had entered, all eyes were now trained on them.

"Does anyone know where the Master is?" Natsu asked, jerking Lucy's handcuffs forward so she came to stand beside him.

"Right here." As the people in the tent stared at Natsu and Lucy in confusion, a short, old man Lucy recognized as the ticket salesman emerged from the crowd. He looked at Natsu with confusion and glanced at Lucy with concern.

"What's going on, Natsu?" he asked.

"I caught this girl sneaking into one of our tents," he replied. Lucy bowed her head in shame, the rising blush on her cheeks making her whole face red. "I brought her here so you can decide what to do with her." Some mutters broke out among the circus folk and Lucy had to force herself to look up and focus her eyes only on the Master. If she dared glance around her she would most certainly break down. The Master stepped forward and his eyes shifted to the rope tied on Lucy's wrists. Her skin had become red from all the jerking around Natsu had done to keep her in step behind him and the Master shook his head, exasperated.

"First of all, Natsu" he said in a stern voice, "remove the rope." Natsu huffed and from the side of his pants he removed a long dagger from its sheath to saw at the thick rope, careful not to cut Lucy in the process.

"Thank you," Lucy whispered. Natsu nodded in reply and shoved the dagger back inside its case, crossing his arms over his chest to await the Master's decision.

"Good. Now, can you give us your name, young lady?" the Master asked. Lucy opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted suddenly.

"Her name's Layla," a familiar voice called from the crowd. Lucy glanced up slightly and saw Cana had emerged from the collection of bodies, her hands on her hips. She was no longer wearing her outfit Lucy had last seen her in and instead she had on a pair of simple brown pants and a blue bathing suit top.

"Cana," the Master said in bewilderment. "You know this girl?"

"Not particularly, but she was in my tent earlier for a tarot reading," she replied.

"Now that you mention it," said another voice, "I do recognize her." Lucy turned her head to the red-head Erza who was standing off to the left of the tent. "She came to congratulate me after my performance this evening." Lucy smiled slightly and Erza gave a stern nod of her head.

"Cana," the Master said, calling the brunette's attention back to him and Lucy. "I trust you have a very good ability to read people. What do you think of Layla?" Cana smirked and came to stand next to the Master, observing Lucy closely.

"If you're asking me to tell you whether she poses a threat to us, I can answer with a resounding no," she replied. "I can sense she has a good heart though it's very clouded, whether with misery or anger I'm not sure. But I can't tell you anything more." The Master nodded and looked up at Lucy with resolve in his eyes.

"Please," Lucy began. "You can't keep me here. You don't know my family." Jude Heartfilia would most definitely tear up the little circus with every bit of his power to get Lucy back. She couldn't bear to carry that burden for the rest of her life.

"Unfortunately, Layla, our circus has very few but absolute rules," the Master said. "Trespassing is a crime we do not make light of here and because of that I will have to ask you to stay overnight so we can settle the matter tomorrow. I will send for an officer early in the morning and we'll have it settled then."

"Oh, please, no!" Lucy cried, not caring how childish she sounded. "Please don't let them arrest me!"

"I'm afraid that if that's the decision the officer makes, its the rule we have to abide by," the Master said. "We only make and reinforce our rules, but we do not come up with the punishment." Lucy gawked at the Master with shock and felt herself on the verge of tears.

"What should we do with her until then?" Natsu asked. The Master broke his eyes away from Lucy and looked at him.

"We'll have her sleep in your tent for the time being," he stated.

"What?!" Lucy and Natsu shouted back in unison. The Master looked taken aback and he blinked a few times before Cana stepped in.

"Oh, the poor thing's been through enough tonight, I think," she said, looking at Lucy kindly. "She can stay with me until the morning." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and mouthed _Thank you_ to Cana who nodded in reply.

"If it's alright with you, Cana, it's alright with me," the Master said, throwing up his hands in defeat and turning on his heel. "Mira, can you get me another drink?"

"Right away, Master," a beautiful white-haired girl said who Lucy recognized from the goodnight ceremony. Natsu folded his arms up behind his head and walked around to talk with his friends as the festivities continued now that Lucy's problem had been solved.

"Hey, Flame Brain!" shouted a boy Lucy remembered as Gray.

"Whatcha ya want, Ice Princess?" Natsu replied with a smirk.

"Good show tonight," Gray said with a smile. "Of course, not as good as mine and Juvia's."

"Gray-sama, you're too kind!" Juvia replied, her hands cupping her cheeks which had changed to a bright red. Since their acts had all finished, Lucy noted everyone was dressed in very casual attire while Natsu still wore his outfit from when he performed. But as soon as he took a seat at one of the benches, his assistant Happy ran over with a black vest and a white-scaled scarf in hand.

"Here you go, Natsu," he said with a smile, handing the clothes to his friend.

"Ah, thanks, Happy," Natsu replied, slipping his arms through the sleeveless vest and wrapping the scarf around his neck. Once he had gotten comfortable, Natsu started striking up conversations with everyone around him. Lucy's heart warmed at how loving this place seemed, almost as if they were one big family. Though he had been fairly rough with her earlier, Lucy could see Natsu wasn't really a bad guy. He just wanted to protect the people he loved from threats and she could understand.

"Hey," Cana said, placing a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Wanna get out of here?" she asked with kind eyes. Lucy nodded and followed Cana back out the tent and into the night.

"Sorry about Natsu," Cana apologized. "He gets really defensive about this place."

"I can tell," Lucy said, rubbing her reddened wrists. "But I can see why."

"In other towns we've travelled to we had some problems with thieves and trespassers before. A few even attacked some of our performers, Natsu included. He only does it because he doesn't want to see anyone else get hurt," Cana explained. Lucy glanced around at the enclosed gates, nodding her head and realizing now why the security of the circus was so tight.

"He's really very sweet and gentle, though," Cana said. "He's not a bad guy at all."

"I see," Lucy said. "It's like you guys are one huge family."

"We are. I mean, if you travelled and practiced constantly with a group of people for so long you would gravitate to them as well," Cana said. "We protect each other because we love one another." Lucy nodded and grew quiet. Seeing so much love gave her a wonderfully warm feeling inside, yet she couldn't help but think of the loveless and cold home she would hopefully be returning to soon.

A few moments later and the two reached a part of the circus sectioned off from the rest of the camp. In front of Lucy stood yet another long gate encircling a line of trailers she presumed was where everyone slept. There were at least twenty or more of them all lined up against the large gate protecting the entirety of the circus, but she was sure she could see more once morning came. Cana dug her hand inside the pocket of her pants and pulled out a chain of keys, selecting a long black one which she slid into the lock on the gate. Upon opening the door, Cana stepped to the side and let Lucy in and, once they were both inside, she carefully locked the gate behind her.

"Like I said," she spoke, coming to Lucy's right, "we run a tight ship."

"Clearly," Lucy said.

"Everyone has a key to the gates around here," she continued, walking down to the right of the line of small homes. "When we leave the trailers in the morning everyone is responsible for locking both their trailer and the gate enclosing them. And when we get to our tents we have to unlock and take down the gates around them as well. We don't take any more chances now."

As they walked past all the trailers, Lucy saw each one was given initials: _GF, JL, ES, JF, WM & C, ND & H,_ etc. Almost at the end of the line, Cana turned to the left to a trailer with the initials _CA_.

"Home sweet home," Cana smiled, swinging her chain of keys and retrieving another key to unlock the door to her trailer. Cana stepped inside first as Lucy looked at the outside of the little home: two pots of flowers hung from either side of the door and a mat was placed below the single step used to enter the trailer. A wooden chair also sat at the far right with a matching table which held a vase with a single red rose. Lucy smiled at the quaintness of the outside.

"Come on in, Layla," Cana said, stepping aside to let Lucy inside. Upon entering the trailer, a strong whiff of alcohol and flowers hit Lucy's nose and she had to force herself not to choke on the scent. At the front of the entrance was a large cabinet filled with various bottles of liquor and to Lucy's immediate left was a rack where jackets hung from the hooks and shoes were placed underneath. Cana walked to her right and led Lucy into the living room where a small kitchenette was set up to the right and over to the left was a booth where guests could sit for their meals. At the very back of the trailer was a bed with shelves on either side for books, clothes, and other belongings.

"The bathroom is right behind you on the left and there's another bedroom as well that's been freshly changed," Cana said. "I don't mind if you stay up late but try not to make too much noise. Everyone around here gets up at seven in the morning to practice, setup, and get ready for the performances."

"Thank you for letting me stay with you for the night," Lucy said, bowing to her. Cana smiled and nodded.

"I would never let a fellow female sleep in a strange boy's room. Even though every trailer has two beds it would most certainly be uncomfortable," Cana said. Lucy smiled as Cana let out a small laugh. "Well, I think I'll be turning in for the night. See you in the morning, Layla."

Cana turned on her heel and headed into the first bedroom, sliding the door behind her. Lucy followed suit and went into the second, closing the door and making sure to lock it. There wasn't very much room between the door and the bed—only about six inches—so Lucy climbed up onto the mattress and looked around the small room. On the shelves, luckily, were some extra pajamas Cana probably had just in case. Lucy began to undress and slipped on a plain pink crop top with a pair of flowery light pink pants and she carefully placing her purse on the shelf to her right. Even though she wanted to get comfortable, Lucy didn't dare take off her wig due to the fairly large window to the right. She didn't want anyone noticing her removing it so she decided to just run her fingers through it a few times and sleep in it.

Feeling her energy drain from the day's escapades, Lucy collapsed on the soft mattress and shimmied her way underneath the covers, laying her head on the soft pillows and pulling the blankets up to her chin. As she began slipping into unconsciousness, Lucy stared out the window and watched the stars in the dark sky twinkle, thoughts of her mother lulling her to sleep.

The next day Lucy was awoken violently by the sharp ringing of an alarm clock. Her eyes snapped open and she haggardly lifted herself off the bed to locate the source of the noise. A clock was placed on the wrap-around shelf behind her and she had to restrain herself from chucking it at the door. She fiddled with the object for a while before finally turning it off with a switch at the bottom. As her mind began to clear, Lucy suddenly remembered the events which brought her to this strange bedroom: she trespassed on private property (a circus no less) and her punishment would soon be decided.

Anxious and fully awake, Lucy got out of bed and opened the door to see Cana was already moving around the kitchen fixing breakfast. She glanced over at the freshly awoken Lucy and smirked.

"I guess you're not much of a morning person," she said, shuffling a pan on the stove. Lucy smelled the delicious scent of eggs and bacon being cooked and took a seat at the table.

"I'm not much of a night person," she replied, rubbing the rest of the sleep from her eyes. Carefully, she fixed her hair which, luckily, only became a little messy from her sleep.

"Well, I suspect the Master will be wanting to see you in his office in a few moments," Cana said, plating the breakfast and laying it down in front of Lucy. "Once we finish eating I'll take you there." Lucy nodded and accepted the fork Cana offered for her to begin eating.

"It's just…" Lucy began, embarrassment making her trip over her words. "I don't have any other clothes besides the ones from yesterday." Cana sat down in front of Lucy and smiled.

"I'm sure I have something you can wear for the day until they figure out what to do with you," Cana replied. Lucy smiled and bowed her head in thanks.

"I hope it's nothing too severe," Lucy whispered. Cana was quiet for a moment before she answered.

"If it's any consolation, I don't think you're a bad person. They just don't want to take a chance," Cana said gently. Lucy sighed but continued to eat her breakfast, her hunger needing to be abated.

Having finished their breakfast, Lucy was changed into a pair of black pants and a white shirt and Cana wore a strapless black laced bra with a lavender, long-sleeved jacket buttoned at her neck and a pair of black pants with a brown belt, her black Fairy Tail emblem displayed to the left of her stomach.

"Alright, let's get going," Cana said, opening the door for Lucy to walk out. She stepped to the front of the trailer and waited for Cana to lock up her home, heading to the entrance of the gate. A few people were still in the process of getting ready for the day so there weren't many people outside the trailers or around the circus. Cana led Lucy through the weave of tents and towards the entrance of the camp where, to the right, was an office.

"Well, this is where I leave you," Cana said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving Lucy an encouraging look. "I'm sure you'll be fine, but come to my tent afterwards to tell me the verdict. You know where it is." Cana winked and walked away, leaving Lucy to stand in front of the small office. She took a deep breath and walked up the short stairs to the door, knocking lightly on the wood.

"Come in," the Master called from inside. Lucy turned the knob and headed inside, seeing the Master sitting at a large desk with Natsu standing off to the side. There were two chairs placed in front of the desk, one of which was occupied by a man who stood upon Lucy's entrance. He was dressed in his officer uniform and nodded to Lucy who bowed to the Master and the law enforcer.

"Layla," the Master said, gesturing for Lucy to have a seat at the other chair. She moved quickly to sit and folded her hands, trying not to make eye contact with Natsu who kept staring at her.

"Officer Hobbes is here this morning to discuss what your punishment should be for trespassing on our property after hours," the Master said, folding his hands atop the desk. "I would like to say, however, I do not believe a harsh punishment is needed in this case. I think arresting this girl would be a mistake since she obviously wasn't doing anything to harm our performers or steal from us and she didn't try to escape last night which I was fairly surprised at. That is all."

Lucy couldn't help but be shocked at the Master's statement. By now, Lucy had accepted she had broken a major rule of the circus and was willing to take any punishment they would give her. But hearing the Master wasn't going to press charges was even better to hear.

"First of all, I would like to say trespassing is a very serious crime," Officer Hobbes said, his face turned to Lucy who nodded vehemently. "But, given the Master's position on this matter, I also would have to agree arresting you doesn't fit the crime. Instead, I think manual labor would be the best form of punishment here. I give the Master the authorization to give you a sentence and when the day comes, you may return home."

"Well, we are staying in the town for two weeks and we lost a lot of manpower since some of our workers decided to quit," the Master said, mulling over the officer's decision. "I think that would be suitable."

"Wait, two _weeks_?" Lucy asked, her heart nearly stopping. "I can't be away from home that long!"

"I think you should be grateful the Master of the circus isn't pressing charges," Officer Hobbes said sternly. "Two weeks of manual labor sounds reasonable to me and considering how kind this man is, I'd say the work wouldn't be too tough for you, Miss. If you're really worried about your home life, I can get in touch with them to let them know of your predicament."

"No," Lucy snapped. "It would only make it worse."

"Good," the officer said. "Does that sound okay to you, Master?" The old man nodded and the officer stood.

"Well, if there's nothing else you'd like to discuss, I'll be off," Officer Hobbes said. "Thank you for breakfast and I wish you luck, Miss." The officer placed his hat back on his head and headed out the office, closing the door behind him.

"Now that that is settled," the Master said, "Natsu, I would like you to be in charge of Layla for the next two weeks."

"Me? Why?" Natsu demanded.

"You _are_ the one who reported her and I do believe you've told me multiple times you've needed stage help and the like," the Master answered. "There's only so much you and Happy can do on your own. Plus you've always said you wanted a female assistant. Maybe Layla would be willing to participate in your show." Natsu and the Master glanced at Lucy who couldn't come up with an answer quick enough.

"I don't think so," Natsu said. "I need a professional and she could never learn our routine overnight." Lucy glared at Natsu for his rude comment but said nothing. She was still reeling over her two week sentence.

"Two weeks is an awful lot of time, Natsu. You never know," the Master said. Silence followed for a few minutes as Lucy thought of what the next two weeks would be like and Natsu watched the girl curiously.

"Alright, you two can _leave_ my office now. Go do some work," the Master huffed, standing from his chair and practically shooing the two out the door. Outside with the door closed behind them, Natsu and Lucy continued to stare at each other without saying a word. Lucy was the first to move, though, walking down the steps and waiting for Natsu to join her at the bottom. She noticed then Natsu's long hair was held back in a ponytail and he was fully clothed with a long black vest falling over white pants tied to his calves by black straps and on his feet he wore black sandals. The only thing Lucy recognized from last night was his white scarf that looked like scales.

"Well," he said, his expression lightening up a bit as he scratched the back of his neck. "I guess I should welcome you to Fairy Tail." Lucy played with a loose piece of string hanging from the bottom of her shirt so she didn't have to look at Natsu.

"Thank you," she replied in a soft voice. More silence passed before Natsu spoke again.

"I can't really think of anything for you to do right now but I think you should come with me to the dining hall. It would give you a chance to meet everyone and maybe you could help someone else," he said.

"Alright," Lucy said even though she wasn't the slightest bit hungry after Cana's generous breakfast.

"Follow me, then," Natsu said, gesturing for her to walk beside him. Lucy fell into step with him and they walked again in silence until Natsu struck up another conversation.

"By the way," he said. "I really did think your playing was good. That song was pretty incredible." Lucy gawked at the tall, burly boy who had just given her the sweetest compliment she ever received. No one besides Ms. Spetto had complimented her on her piano playing since her mother died all those years ago and now a handsome, talented guy was telling her he thought her playing was "incredible." Lucy blushed but smiled.

"Thank you. That means a lot to me," she said. Surprisingly, Natsu's cheeks became red as well and Lucy had to stifle a giggle.

Maybe working with Natsu wouldn't be so bad after all.

 **A/N:** Please don't forget to leave a review; it's so important for me to hear from the audience! Chapter 7 will be up next week  & hopefully it'll be better than this week's...


	7. Chapter 7 - Come Meet the Family

**TO MY READERS:** Chapter 7 is here and I hope you all enjoy this latest installment of _Love Amongst the Stars_! I know this might be a bit of a slow period but it's all leading up to a great scheme, I promise. And don't forget to check back next Monday for Chapter 8!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 ** _VII - Come Meet the Family_**

It turned out the dining hall was in the same tent Lucy visited last night. Natsu pulled the curtain back and stepped aside to let her through first. She nodded in thanks and walked inside to see all the circus workers hurriedly walking around to get their breakfast before beginning their work for the day. Lucy had to avoid getting hit by a few people running with their plates to get a seat next to their friends. She was astonished at how noisy the tent was compared to the previous night, though she assumed it was because most of the people had gone to retire to bed early.

"You hungry?" Natsu asked, sticking his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I ate at Cana's before going to see the Master. But I'll go with you," Lucy replied, not wanting to be alone in such a huge crowd. At Lucy's reply, Natsu headed to the far back of the tent where the bar was but, now in the early hours of the morning, the counter was covered with hot tins filled with food and heated by small burners hanging underneath. Every dish Lucy could imagine was on display as Natsu grabbed a plate and began piling food on it: from pancakes to fruit salad, it was all there for people to consume.

"Good morning, Natsu," a sweet voice called. Lucy looked up and saw the girl the Master had called Mira standing behind the counter. She had long white hair tied above the hairline in a small ponytail and wore a long, pink dress decorated with a few bows. When she noticed Lucy standing next to Natsu, she smiled kindly and crossed her hands in front of her. "And good morning to you, too."

"Oh, hey, Mirajane," Natsu said. "You've met Layla, right?"

"I haven't had the pleasure," Mirajane replied with a wide smile.

"Hello, my name's Layla," Lucy said, bowing slightly. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Mirajane, but everyone calls me Mira. And it's wonderful to meet you as well. So, what was the Master's decision?"

"He pawned her off to me to help me with some stage work and stuff," Natsu said, already having taken a bite out of a piece of bread. "I don't really have anything planned for today so if you or Elfman need any help, just come by my tent."

"Thanks," Mirajane replied.

"Who's Elfman?" Lucy asked, looking between Natsu and Mirajane.

"Elfman's my little brother," she said. "He's the circus' 'Beast' and my sister Lisanna, our friend Evergreen, and I assist him in his acts."

"Oh! I didn't even get a chance to see your performance last night," Lucy said with disappointment.

"Well I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to see them while you help with props and shit," Natsu said, balancing his humungous plate with the napkins and utensils he gathered. "C'mon, there're some other people I want you to meet."

"Have fun, Layla!" Mirajane called after them as Lucy followed Natsu to a table. Lucy waved goodbye as they receded into the crowd and smiled. Mirajane seemed like a really nice person and Lucy hoped Natsu would actually let her help her with Elfman's act.

Weaving carefully through the tight spaces between people, Natsu finally spotted a table where Erza, Juvia, and Gray were all sitting. Lucy's heartbeat picked up nervously as she moved to take a seat on the wooden bench.

"Hey, Natsu," Erza greeted with a smile. When she got comfortable, Lucy noticed the only thing Erza was eating was a slice of what looked like strawberry shortcake.

"Good morning, Natsu-san," a little girl with long, blue hair said.

"Hello, Natsu-san," Juvia said with a smile. Everyone else at the table exchanged greetings while Lucy sat awkwardly at the far end of the bench, waiting to be introduced. It was Erza who finally acknowledged her presence.

"And isn't this Layla?" she asked. All the heads suddenly turned to Lucy who tried not to look too flustered at having all the attention on her.

"Hi, everyone," Lucy said in the calmest voice she could muster. "My name's Layla and I'll be working with all of you for the next two weeks."

"That was your punishment?" Erza asked. Lucy nodded.

"If you ask me that's a pretty mild penalty," an angry-looking guy said. Lucy turned to the voice and saw he had long, spiky black hair and spikes all on his face.

"She wasn't really doing anything wrong, Gajeel," Natsu said to him. "She was just trespassing on private property. It's not like she was stealing from us or nothin'."

"Yeah, but if we keep givin' light punishments to everybody, no one's gonna take us seriously and we'll have the same problems like _last_ time happen again," Gajeel argued.

"Don't ya think I know that, Bolts-for-Brains?" Natsu snapped.

"You askin' for a fight, Salamander?" Gajeel growled.

"Enough you two," Erza commanded, silencing Natsu and Gajeel immediately. Even Lucy got chills up her spine from the harsh tone Erza used.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Flame Brain," Gray admitted. "If Layla wasn't really doing any harm than why bother dolling out a serious punishment?"

"Juvia is always on Gray-sama's side," Juvia added lovingly.

"Besides, after the ass-whooping we dealt out do you really think any of those bastards would dare cross us again?" Natsu challenged. Gajeel stared at him for a while but didn't reply, only giving Lucy a mean side-glance before turning back to his meal of nuts and bolts.

"Anyways," Erza continued. "I think we should all introduce ourselves to Layla. I know we already met, but my name's Erza Scarlet."

"My name's Levy McGarden. Nice to meet you!" a cute, blue-haired girl said who sat next to Erza. "And the angry one's Gajeel." Lucy looked to Gajeel who gave a short grunt and continued to eat his breakfast.

"I'm Juvia Lockser. As long as you don't pose a threat as Juvia's love rival, we should get along fine," Juvia said cooly.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster," Gray smiled to Lucy who returned the gesture.

" _Love rival_ ," Juvia hissed lowly.

"And I'm Wendy Marvell!" the little girl sitting a few inches from Lucy piped up. "I look forward to working with you!"

"I look forward to working with all of you as well," Lucy replied, bowing her head in respect.

"So where do you come from?" Natsu asked. Lucy's heart dropped to her stomach at the question, not sure of how to answer. The last thing she wanted was to tell anyone at the circus who she really was but she wasn't very good at lying. She had to think of something, and fast.

"Well, I—I'm from Acalypha and have lived here for my whole life," she replied with a slight stutter. Hopefully no one would notice and it was a good thing Cana wasn't there to try and get the truth out of her.

"Won't your family be worried with being gone for two weeks?" Erza asked with concern. "I'm sure the Master would let you contact them." Lucy looked down at the table, remembering how much trouble she'd get into once she returned home. Her father would no doubt be furious, not just with her disappearance but at the embarrassment of being the father of a run-away.

"My father won't be worried that I'm gone, only for the consequences that will follow," Lucy said flatly. Silence fell over the table at Lucy's sudden somber attitude but the conversation was quickly started up again.

"So who will you be working for?" Gray asked gently. Lucy finally looked up and tried to put her cheery disposition back on.

"Mostly Natsu but I'm more than happy to assist any of you as well," Lucy said.

"That's great, Natsu-san!" Wendy exclaimed. "Haven't you always wanted a female assistant?"

"Yeah, but I don't know if Layla could learn what Happy and I practice for two months every year," Natsu sighed.

"There's no harm in trying," Erza suggested. Natsu shrugged his shoulders and continued eating but didn't say anything more.

"So, what was it exactly Natsu caught you doing?" Levy asked. Lucy's face turned a slight pink as she thought up of a way to explain the series of events which wound her up working for the circus.

"Well, um, you see…I, uh…" she sighed. "I snuck into one of the tents as everyone was leaving for the night."

"Which tent?" Erza asked with a slight laugh.

"The black one with the old piano inside that says _Euphony of the Fairies_ on it," Lucy replied. Everyone at the table went silent.

"Is that true, Natsu?" Gray asked, astonished. Natsu nodded but kept on eating.

"Seriously?" Gajeel asked in shock.

"What?" Lucy asked, confused.

"That tent was where our founder used to perform," Erza finally explained. "She was a genius when it came to playing piano. Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Play the piano?" Gajeel asked, becoming frustrated.

"Well…yes. I'm a pianist myself," Lucy said.

"That's incredible," Wendy mused.

"Wait, wait, wait," Lucy said, feeling her temper rise at not knowing what everyone was getting so freaked out about. "What's going on? What is everybody talking about?"

"No one has gone inside the tent since our founder died," Erza said. "We only put it up as a sort of symbol for everyone who knew her. It was a very plain tent but the Master tells us she played so eloquently, there was no need for a flashy tent to attract patrons."

"Who was the founder?" Lucy asked, extremely intrigued.

"Her name was Mavis Vermillion. She died when she was twenty-four," Erza said.

"I trespassed on private property and not only that, but the circus' founder's former performance tent?!" Lucy shouted, exasperated. She was laid out on the floor next to Cana in her newfound friend's tent, pillows underneath them and a plate of cheese, crackers, and grapes between the two as they ate lunch.

After being told the backstory to the tent Lucy had unknowingly entered, she decided she would go help Cana with preparations for the show. She had waited until lunchtime to finally delve into the whole story with her friend.

"Maybe that's why the Master went so easy on you," Cana suggested. Lucy turned her head to her and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you think that would've been more of a reason to throw me in prison?" she asked. "Plus, how would he have known?"

"You said Natsu was in the room with the Master and the officer. He probably told him then," Cana surmised. "And, if anything, I'd say you going into that tent was even more proof you aren't a threat."

"Why's that?" Lucy asked, pushing herself up on her elbow.

"No one's entered Mavis' tent since she passed away all those years ago. People say it's haunted or just stay out of it because we consider it bad luck to enter her tent. Something must've drawn you to it." Lucy thought back to the night she decided to investigate it.

"I—I guess I was… Drawn to it, I mean," Lucy began. "A huge part of me was just curious but, as I got closer to it and stepped inside, I felt a sort of _warmth_ in my heart and I was completely calm. I guess I just didn't realize that until now." Cana turned her head to Lucy and watched her carefully.

"There you go, then," she replied. Lucy shifted her head to her friend and looked at her with confusion.

"What?"

"The rest of us in this circus see that tent as a bad omen, a place that should not be entered. But you come along and are filled with a warm feeling when you see it. Maybe the Master figured—in some way—Mavis was giving you permission to go inside, like you were an old friend. I think it's testimony enough of who you are as a person."

Lucy rolled her head back to stare at the ceiling of Cana's tent, reveling in the comforting sensation she experienced when she had gone inside Mavis' tent. She also began to realize how she felt her mother's presence much more strongly, almost as if both Mavis and her mother were present inside the tent as Lucy played the piano.

"Well," Cana said, sitting up and finishing off a glass of water, "time to get back to work." She rose from the pillows and brushed off her pants, standing over Lucy with her hands on her hips. "You should probably head over to Natsu's tent to make sure he doesn't need any help before working with me again."

"Alright," Lucy said, slowly standing up. "I'll see you later tonight then." Cana nodded and waved Lucy off as she made her way out the tent and began searching for Natsu's base of operations.

Before she had gone off to see Cana, Natsu told Lucy his tent was off more towards the end of the circus. He usually performed little acts at night for some of the patrons, though he closed his tent an hour before the Goodnight Ceremony so he could warm up and practice. As Lucy neared the back of the camp, she easily spotted the large structure: it was most certainly hard to miss given the fact it had a large sign displayed on the front with Natsu and Happy's names written on it and two fake flames on each end, as well as the fiery appearance of flames seemingly emanating from the fabric.

Lucy pulled back the curtain and walked inside the large tent. There were benches on either side of the aisle to face a black stage, which Lucy presumed was fire=proof. The same clay pots she had seen on stage with Natsu the night before were placed on either side of the stage as well, but there were no flames flickering inside since there was no show.

"Natsu?" she called, the tent appearing empty. "Natsu!"

"Oh, Layla, back here!" she heard Natsu reply from behind the curtain at the back of the stage.

Lucy made her way up the stairs and slipped backstage through one of the entrances, slinking through the narrow hallway which revealed the area behind platform. It wasn't as big as she would have thought, but big enough to hold all the props Natsu used for his performances: there were at least a dozen other clay pots stacked up against the wall on Lucy's left with different patterns on each, various types of equipment, and a rack of different types of clothes. There was also two couches sitting across from each other down at the far end of the wall, one with a red blanket and one with a blue blanket. Lucy spotted Natsu over near the couches as he sat hunched over something and she began walking towards him.

"Hello," Lucy said as she came up beside Natsu. She glanced down and saw a piece of clothing in his hands which he was attempting to sew.

"Goddamnit!" he shouted, sticking a finger into his mouth. He pulled it back out to observe the pinprick he received from the needle: a large drop of blood pooled on his skin and he sucked on it again. Lucy couldn't help but giggle.

"What the hell's so funny?" Natsu grumbled, throwing the shirt onto the table placed in between the two couches. Lucy looked to where Natsu threw the garment and saw his partner Happy laid out on his couch with the blue blanket folded across the top of the furniture.

"He's been trying to sew that shirt since we took our lunch break," Happy explained, rubbing his hand through his short blue hair. "Maybe Layla could help you." Natsu was busy fixing his hair into a neater ponytail so the strands would stay out of his face and he threw his hands down on his lap in frustration.

"I'd be happy to help," Lucy said, stepping around Natsu and taking a seat next to him. He handed her the shirt and laid back against the couch with his arms behind his head, watching Lucy work.

"You know how to sew?" Lucy asked with a little smirk. She narrowed her eyes at Natsu who's face was turning pink with embarrassment.

"Not really," he admitted. "I saw the costume designers do it so many times so I figured it was something you could pick up by watching. But I guess it takes a lot of practice." Lucy nodded.

"I remember when Ms. Spetto first taught me how to sew," she smiled as her hands went through the familiar motion of guiding the needle through the fabric to make the proper knots. "I had so many pricks from the needle she had to cover my hands entirely with gauze. I almost gave up after the first day because they hurt so badly. But Ms. Spetto gave me some really good advice."

Lucy brought the string up to her mouth to bite it, set the needle on the table, and began knotting the end of the string. She handed the finished product back to Natsu with a smile. "She told me to never give up, even when things seem difficult or sometimes impossible. If you give up, you'll never forgive yourself because you'll never know what could've been if you had stuck with it."

Natsu graciously took the shirt and shook it out. It didn't seem flashy enough to be for one of his acts given it was just simple and black, but it looked brand new now that Lucy had worked her magic. He smiled and nodded to Lucy in thanks, grabbing a hanger and putting the shirt on the clothes rack.

"Wait, who's Ms. Spetto?" Natsu wondered. Lucy's eyes widened as she thought up of an excuse. She didn't know why, but being around Natsu made her open up about things. It was strange and she didn't like how quickly her guard came down in front of him.

"My…um…sewing instructor," Lucy said, wincing internally at how stupid the excuse sounded. Natsu glared at her and sat back down on the couch, leaning over his lap with hands folded seriously.

"I know you're not telling me the truth," Natsu said seriously.

"Why does it matter?" Lucy asked, looking away from jim and fiddling with her hands. "I'll only be here for two weeks so what's the point?"

"That's exactly the point," Natsu said. "We're all so close here because we don't hide anything from anyone. Everybody knows everything there is to know about everyone else. You don't keep secrets from your family." Lucy was silent for a while, almost deciding on telling Natsu everything . Luckily, she caught herself last minute and kept her mouth shut: she couldn't tell him who she really was. _It's only two weeks,_ she told herself. _You can keep a secret for fourteen days._

"Yeah, well, I'm not part of your family so it doesn't matter," Lucy insisted. She allowed her eyes to glance over at Natsu who continued to stare at her with a hard expression, expecting her to change her answer. When she said nothing more, Natsu sighed and leaned against the couch with his arms crossed behind his head.

"I'm sure you'll change your mind," Natsu said with a knowing smirk. Lucy narrowed her eyes and raised her eyebrow, plastering a grin on her face to shake off her nerves.

"Are you guaranteeing that?" Lucy asked. Natsu turned his head towards her and, upon noticing her playful expression, smirked and lifted his head back to face the ceiling of the tent.

"I won't put it in writing, but mark my words," he said. "It's hard to keep things from the people you trust."

"And what makes you think I'll grow to trust you and the rest of these people?" Lucy asked a little defensively. The last thing she wanted was to spill her secret to the whole circus. Natsu shrugged his shoulders, not seeming to notice Lucy's sudden hostility.

"Two weeks is enough time," he replied simply. Lucy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, giving up.

"Anyways," Natsu said, striking up another conversation. "I still haven't thought up of anything for you to help me with yet but I was thinking, since everyone seems to want me to try and get you to be my assistant, I could go over some basic stuff with you."

"Really?" Lucy asked, excited. "You'll teach me to become your assistant?"

"Yeah, sure. And if it doesn't work out, what's the harm in teaching you a thing or two?" Natsu said casually.

"You're not worried about me trying to recreate your own performances?" Lucy asked. He turned to her with raised eyebrows and a knowing smile.

"I don't think I have to worry about that," he replied. Natsu stood and held out his hand to Lucy with a wide smile on his face.

"C'mon then, apprentice," he said. "Let's start our adventure!" Lucy stared at his hand for a moment before matching his goofy grin and sliding her right hand into his.

"Okay!" she replied, lifting herself from the couch and following him to the stage.

 **A/N:** Don't forget to leave a review because I appreciate every single one and I'll see you guys next week!


	8. Chapter 8 - The Dragon's Assistant

**TO MY READERS:** Hopefully this chapter gives everyone the NaLu they are craving! Personally, I got the feels as I wrote this chapter so I have an inkling you guys will too. Enjoy and see you next week! 3

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **VIII - The Dragon's Assistant**_

"Here, put these on," Natsu said, handing Lucy a pair of skin-colored, elbow-length gloves. She looked at him curiously as he pulled on his own pair.

"These are fireproof gloves," he said, holding up his arms. "They're painted to match skin color so when Happy and I use them on stage during our shows, no one can tell we're wearing them. They protect us from getting burned and we have almost every skin tone."

Once Lucy had put the gloves on, she noticed how quickly they attached to her skin. If she hadn't put them on herself, she would never have noticed they were on because they blended against her skin so easily. The only giveaway was the odd line that ran around her bicep where the glove ended.

"Okay, now that we're protected," Natsu said, walking to the left side of the stage where one of the clay pots had been placed, "we can start practicing. The first rule of being a fire breather is to never be scared. If you panic, you loose control and you risk not only your safety but the safety of everyone around you. Stay calm and collected." Lucy nodded as she watched Natsu retrieve two balls of charcoal from the pot, the same ones he and Happy probably used for their performances.

"Now, when I light this just look at me, not the flame, okay? Focus on me," Natsu said as he brought out a box of matches from his pocket.

"Okay," Lucy replied, her voice shaking slightly. Natsu carefully struck a long match and placed the ball in Lucy's palm. She immediately lifted her eyes to him as he held the match up against the charcoal. The spark ignited the entire ball and Lucy jumped as she saw the flame catch from below her eyes.

"It's okay, just relax," he said gently, shaking the match to put out the flame. "Keep your eyes on me, alright?" It took Lucy a moment before she nodded her head, her heart beating faster as she felt the heat from the flame. But that's all she could feel, the slight warmth that came with the flickering fire set on her palm. There was no pain at all. She laughed at how nervous she was becoming. Natsu smiled and lit his own ball of charcoal, keeping his eyes on Lucy's.

"Feeling okay?" he asked, standing only a few inches from her.

"Yeah, just a bit warm," she admitted. Natsu chuckled but continued to look at her.

"Alright, I want you to try and throw the ball between each hand," Natsu said. Lucy's eyes widened in fear at the next step. "Don't worry, don't worry," he said, placing his free hand on hers. "Everything'll be fine as long as you stay calm."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked nervously.

"I'm sure," he said, his black eyes showing his confidence. Lucy breathed deeply before she replied.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said. Natsu smiled and took a step step back.

"Just toss it in your other hand and wait for me," he instructed. Lucy gently rolled the ball around in her palm to get a feel for it and, as carefully as possible, tossed the ball a few inches into the air and caught it in a half-closed hand.

"Ha!" she laughed, the warmth leaving her left hand and going to her right. The flame shimmied a bit but stayed lit as she looked up at Natsu who laughed at her small accomplishment.

"Nice job," he said. "Now it's my turn." Lucy relaxed her stance a bit as she waited for Natsu to toss his own ball.

Centering all his focus on the flame, Natsu tossed the ball high into the air. Lucy watched as it rose up to the ceiling, worried it would catch the fabric on fire. Luckily it stopped a few inches above it and as it descended, Lucy's eyes came down to Natsu who jumped up a few inches to do an air spin and land just in time to grab the burning charcoal before it fell on the stage.

"Wow, way to show off," Lucy said with a pout on her lip. Natsu grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"I've been practicing for a long time," he replied. "It's only natural that I'm so good."

"Speaking of which, I heard this is your guys' last public show before you return to Magnolia," Lucy said, tossing her charcoal between each hand. "Is that true?" She lifted her eyes slightly to Natsu who was doing some other little tricks with his flame absentmindedly.

"We usually start our performances in April and move through Fiore, but now that it's coming to be July we make plans to go back to Magnolia in order to train. It's best for us to practice in the summer because the winter just gets too cold and working on our routines indoors doesn't really go well," he explained.

"So, you spend the rest of the summer training?" Lucy asked. Even though two weeks seemed like a long time to return home, a part of her never wanted the circus to leave. Despite the severe consequences waiting for her at home, Fairy Tail made Lucy feel something she hadn't felt in a long, long time: pure and utter happiness. Knowing Natsu and the rest of the gang would be moving back to Magnolia soon was heartbreaking news for her, even though she hadn't even known everyone long or knew all of them yet.

"Yup," Natsu replied. "We get a good, long break in the winter, though since we don't practice then."

"Must be nice," Lucy muttered. She was still tossing the charcoal back and forth between her hands, focusing on the fire more than Natsu who looked up and noticed her sudden change in attitude. She was sad and he could sense it, like a thick fog had just swept into the tent.

"What must be nice?" he asked as casually as possible. He was afraid Lucy would suddenly change her disposition again and pretend like she hadn't said anything at all. But he wanted to know what was bothering her.

"Having such a big family who loves everyone for who they are. Who allows them to find their own happiness," she said, obviously forgetting who she was talking to.

"And your family doesn't?" Natsu asked gently, hoping Lucy wouldn't snap back out of her trance.

"Mhm?" she asked, finally looking up. Natsu cursed to himself at her sudden remembrance of where she was. She shook her head as though she had been daydreaming and her cheeks began to redden.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" she asked.

"Nothin'. It's not important," he said with a shrug, rolling the charcoal around in his palm. But now he was desperate to get Lucy to reveal more about herself than she was letting on.

Silence soon filled the small amount of space between the two and Lucy struggled to find something to talk about. She had luckily caught herself before she said anything about her family and was shocked at how quickly she let her guard down. If anyone at the circus found out about who she was, she'd be kicked out and returned home right away. Though she was terrified only a few hours ago of the consequences following her prolonged absence, she couldn't really understand why. Her father wasn't really worried about her wellbeing, only of what would happen with the marriage. Thinking of the grotesque Duke made Lucy's skin crawl and she was more than happy to be spending two weeks away from the confining Heartfilia Konzern. The last thing she wanted to do was scare everyone into handing her over to her father and cut her time short.

"Um…" Lucy began, "thank you. For teaching me this," she said, holding out the charcoal. The flame on the ball was beginning to fade and Natsu came closer, taking Lucy's wrist in his hand. He gently pulled her towards him and lifted her open palm up to his lips. Her eyes widened as she watched Natsu observe the flame, wondering what he was planning on doing. After a few awkward minutes, he took in a deep breath and blew out the charcoal, extinguishing the flame.

But he didn't let go of Lucy's wrist; instead, Natsu's eyes met hers and he held them there for a while. As he stared into her deep brown irises, she allowed herself to get a better look at his black ones, except—as she allowed herself to get lost in his gaze—she became aware of the smallest glints of gold in his irises, flickering softly almost as if he had his own fire burning inside him.

Lucy could've stared into those eyes forever; until Natsu released her wrist and took a step back abruptly. She blinked at him for a while, confused at what had happened, until someone entered the tent.

"Natsu." He and Lucy's heads snapped to the stern voice, spotting Erza who stood in the middle of the aisle with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Erza," he replied, stepping back a bit more from Lucy as Erza came closer to the stage.

"I came by to ask if Jellal and I could borrow Layla for a few hours," she explained, looking back and forth between the two, clearly becoming uncomfortable as she realized she had disrupted something. "But I can see I've obviously stepped in on a lesson so I'll come back later." Erza stopped walking to the stage and turned on her heel, ready to leave the tent.

"No!" Lucy said, loudly and suddenly. Both Natsu and Erza looked back at her, surprised at her sudden outburst. "I mean… I'll go to help you. Natsu and I were just finishing." Erza twisted her body back around and looked to Natsu who scratched the back of his neck, contemplating the idea.

"I have no problem with it," he replied. "I was just showing her a thing or two about my routine. I decided to make her my assistant." Erza was silent again for a while, seeming to process everything that was happening.

"I see," she said a bit sternly. "Well, if you're finished. Layla?" Lucy nodded and hurried down the stairs, off the stage, and behind Erza. As the two girls neared the exit, Lucy couldn't help but turn back to Natsu who was already headed backstage, shaking his head.

Whether it was from frustration or in an attempt to clear his head, Lucy couldn't know for sure.

Natsu walked through the narrow pathway from the stage and towards the couches where Happy still resided. Though the two shared a very nice—albeit messy—trailer together, most of the time they would exhaust themselves so much from rehearsing that they wouldn't feel like making the trek to the trailers. So to save themselves the aggravation after a long day they decided to move couches into their tent so they could simply crash whenever they wanted.

As Natsu huffed his way back to his couch, Happy's eyes immediately snapped open upon hearing his friend returning. Natsu collapsed on the soft cushions, pulling the elastic from his long, cherry-blossom hair and laid his head on the little throw pillow.

"What are you doing?" Happy asked, forcing himself to sit up. Natsu was facing the arched ceiling of the tent, completely oblivious to the devilish smirk on his partner's face.

"Whatcha talkin' about, Happy?" Natsu replied with a sigh.

"I mean with Layla. What are you doing?" Happy pressed. Natsu sighed and threw an arm over his eyes, closing them as Happy continued the interrogation.

"I was just teaching her some things about our routine is all," he said. Happy raised an eyebrow, not buying any of it.

"Last time I checked, teaching requires a lot more talking. And you guys weren't really exchanging a lot of words," he said. Natsu let out another sigh.

"Happy…" he warned.

"Oh, c'mon!" Happy exclaimed. "You have to admit, she's pretty damn cute, what with that black hair and those brown eyes."

"If she's so cute why don't you date her?" Natsu smirked. Angry that Natsu wasn't playing into his hand, Happy picked up his throw pillow and chucked it at his ignorant friend. Natsu snapped himself upright to glare at Happy who's face now showed anger.

"I'm serious, Natsu," Happy demanded.

"So am I," he said with a smirk. Happy rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Something's going on between you two, and I just wanna remind you that Layla's only here for two weeks," he said. "I'd be careful if I were you."

"Happy, will you relax?" Natsu said with a chuckle. "I'm not gonna fall in love with her or anything." Happy rolled his eyes again.

"It's like everyone keeps saying," he continued, "two weeks is plenty of time." Having said what he wanted to say, Happy rolled over on the couch and snuggled into the pillow to finish his catnap. Natsu stared at his friend's back, shaking his head with the stupid smirk still on his face.

"Yeah, right," he said, leaning back into the couch. "No one falls in love that fast."

Erza led Lucy towards the front of the circus where she remembered first seeing the swordswoman's performance. The wooden stage where Erza had displayed her incredible technique still stood between two tents but, once they arrived, Lucy saw the curtain at the back of the platform led to a small area similar to Natsu's room backstage. Armors of every type were arranged on mannequins all along the circular wall with a tall rack at the far end which held all of Erza's swords. Lucy's eye widened at the vast variety of armors and weapons while Erza moved to her partner Jellal who was off to the left polishing a metal plate on one of the mannequins.

"Good news, Jellal," Erza said as he stood from his stool. "Layla has agreed to help us today."

"That's wonderful news," Jellal said with a smile, shifting his body to face the girls. As Erza and Jellal stared at each other, Lucy couldn't help but surmise the two obviously shared more than just feelings of friendship. The one who helped Erza so much seemed like a good man.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Lucy asked, eager to get to work and hoping it would help to get Natsu out of her head: the soft sparks in his black eyes still flashed in her mind every once in a while when she had nothing else to distract herself.

"I was hoping you could give us some assistance in polishing and cleaning off my armors and swords," Erza explained. "I just hope it won't be too dull of work." Lucy shook her head fervently.

"No, not at all!" she replied. "I'd be more than happy to help." Jellal and Erza exchanged a brief smile between each other before Erza gave Lucy the same look and ushered her to the rack of weapons.

"Jellal's pretty quick in cleaning the armor so you and I will work on the swords," she said, taking two stools from behind the rack. She also retrieved two bottles of polish and two rags, handing Lucy one of each. As Erza moved to sit on a stool, Lucy looked up to the rack of swords and saw most of the them were covered in sand or simply dust. There had to be at least twenty or more of them, giving Lucy and Erza plenty of time to talk. Erza gently removed a sword from its hook on the rack, the same one she had used during her Heaven's Wheel performance.

"Make sure you swipe the rag over the blade only once and do that a few times over. If you go back and forth with the rag it'll rip and you could cut yourself," Erza advised, placing the polish-covered rag over the sword and running it to the tip and bringing the cloth back down to start at the bottom of the handle. Lucy took a blue-handled sword ornamented by a string covered in large red beads, its blade decorated with one silver and one white side. As she wet her rag with the polish she could feel Erza's eyes on her, watching as she stroked the blade softly with the cleaner.

"Very nice," she said with a smile. Lucy nodded her thanks and continued to clean the sand off the sword until the blade sparkled like new.

"How do these swords get so dirty?" she asked, focusing on not cutting her fingers as she moved on to another weapon.

"Most of the routines I do incorporates a dance," Erza began. "While I dance I usually throw a sword or too down into the sand. But with some of these other ones," she said, gesturing to the other blades, "I sometimes don't use them for quite a while and they just get dusty."

"I loved your performance with Heaven's Wheel," Lucy said, remembering how Erza floated in the air like a real angel. "That was absolutely incredible." Erza smiled in reply.

"Thank you," she said. "I can show you how I did that routine after we finish cleaning these."

"I would like that very much," Lucy said excitedly.

"Speaking of routines," Erza said, bringing their conversation into a new direction, "Natsu has decided to take you on as his assistant?"

Lucy had to force herself to stay composed as she thought back to the fairly intimate moment she had with Natsu while he was teaching her some of the basics.

"Yes," she replied, swallowing hard to prevent her voice from sounding shaky. "He was just showing me some of the fundamentals." Erza nodded slowly, watching Lucy very carefully.

"I see," she said when Lucy said nothing further. "He's been hoping to hire an assistant for a long time, specifically a female. He's tried to get some of us girls around the circus to practice with him but with our own routines to worry about, it wasn't exactly ideal." Lucy bobbed her head and eventually shifted her eyes from Erza's stern brown ones.

"I should let you know something, though, Layla," Erza said gently, her expression becoming soft. Lucy looked up curiously. "Natsu lacks control over his emotions; when he gets something in his mind or is overcome by an uncontrollable sensation, he tends to act out."

"Act out?" Lucy asked. Erza sighed, thinking of how to explain Natsu.

"Do you remember at breakfast today when Gajeel brought up an incident of trespassers?" Lucy thought back to the meal she shared for the first time with everyone and recalled the moment.

"Yes."

"That happened only a year ago. Some thieves thought robbing our circus would be an easy job and they also wanted to kidnap some of us as well…mainly the women. Natsu was one of the first to try and stop them while they were attempting to take one of our own.

"Juvia had been practicing alone and stayed later than she planned so, on her way back to her trailer she shared with Gray, the thieves figured they could easily jump her. Fortunately, she put up a very good fight and was able to get the attention of Natsu and Gray. When Natsu first came to see what was going on, he went on a blind rampage and began to beat the thieves senselessly."

"Understandably so," Lucy said, defending Natsu. Erza held up a hand.

"You don't understand. Natsu went into a fight with no weapon, not even his dagger. He acted solely on his emotions and he ended up getting hurt very badly. Luckily, Gray was able to get into my tent and take some of my swords for defense. He and I went in to help Natsu but the damage was already done; he was injured very badly. So badly, we didn't think he would be able to perform with us ever again. Gray and I were also wounded but not even close to the extend of Natsu. We had to pull his performance from the circus for the rest of the summer.

"My point is, Natsu doesn't think with his head but with his heart. Which is _not_ a bad quality, except for the fact he gets attached very, very easily and may the gods so help the person or persons who threatens the ones he loves."

"I'm confused," Lucy said, shaking her head. "Why are you telling me this?"

"You are only here for two weeks and then you return to your life and we travel back to Magnolia. Natsu has decided to train you which will require a lot of time, meaning you two will be spending most of your days together. Alone." Lucy couldn't help her cheeks reddening.

"If you're suggesting Natsu and I are becoming involved with each other…" she began.

"All I'm saying is you should be careful. Like I told you before; Natsu thinks with his heart more than his head. I would hate to see what would happen if the two of you _do_ fall for one another," Erza said. Lucy lowered her head to stare at the sand underneath her feet, the red slowly dissipating from her cheeks. Erza sighed and placed a hand on Lucy's, leaning towards her.

"I'm not saying you're bad for him or anything," she reassured Lucy. "It just won't work."

"I know," Lucy replied. "I guess I keep forgetting I have another life to live after these two weeks." Erza looked deeply into Lucy's face who now was focusing on cleaning the sword on her lap. Something was definitely off about Lucy and Erza knew she wasn't telling the whole truth about who she was: Cana practically confirmed as much. But there was really no need to push. Erza had a feeling Lucy would eventually tell the truth at some point to somebody. Keeping secrets was a lot harder than it sounded.

"Well, let's finish all this up," she said. "We only have a few more hours until the circus opens for business and these swords need to be cleaned." Erza smiled at Lucy who gave a small grin, still upset about the conversation. Erza may have warned her about getting too attached to Natsu, but what about everyone else? Letting go of friends was just as painful.

Once the girls had finished cleaning all the swords, Erza stood first and left the polish and rags in front of her stool and gestured for Lucy to follow her. She walked towards the mannequins and led Lucy towards her signature armor, Heaven's Wheel. On the dummy it seemed that much heavier and Lucy wondered how the thing hadn't crushed the body-shaped cushion. Nonetheless, her mood brightened if only a little as the two got closer.

"A promise is a promise," Erza said with a knowing smile, coming to stand beside her most prized possession. Standing in front of it, Lucy noticed a little control was clipped to the pole acting at the neck where the outfits headband hung around. She looked at it with interest and when Erza noticed, she picked it up from the clasp and pressed the small green button. Suddenly, the wings on the back of the armor plate began to flap slowly. Lucy gasped at its movement but Erza quickly pressed the red button when the mannequin began to lift off the ground.

"It's remote controlled?" Lucy asked incredulously. Erza nodded and placed the control back on the clasp.

"It took a year before it was assembled and a few more months to get used to it," she explained, crossing her arms and looking at it proudly. "It has a small magnetic field which helps to keep the swords in the air when Jellal throws them up. We're in the middle of making more of the original two so the routine doesn't look as disorganized as usual with all those different swords, but it's taking more time than we planned. We have to create a magnetism in the swords as well and it's harden than anticipated." She sighed and pulled a hand through her hair.

"It will be worth it, though. I can't stand that the swords don't match the armor," Erza said.

"I could always give you some extra hands in that as well," Lucy offered. Erza looked to her and smiled.

"That would be great," she said, exhaling as though a huge weight was being lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you, Layla."

"No, thank you," Lucy insisted. "You didn't have to accept me the way you did. You all have such kind hearts."

As Erza continued to describe the armor, Jellal made his way towards them, wiping his sandy hands on his pants and moving to stand next to Erza. Upon finishing her tour, Erza turned to her partner and smiled.

"All set, ladies?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Every single sword has been scrubbed spotless," Erza replied.

"Excellent," Jellal said. "Glad we could find some assistance. Thank you, Layla," he said, bowing his head slightly in Lucy's direction.

"Your welcome. Please don't hesitate to ask again."

"We're going to head over to the dining hall for something to eat before we get ready for tonight," Erza stated. "Care to join us?" After their discussion about Natsu, Lucy had become very reluctant about seeing him again. She really just wanted to go back to Cana's trailer and relax now that her work for the day was completed.

"No, I think I'm just going to try and catch Cana. She might be expecting me since I'll be living with her for a while," she replied.

"Alright," Erza said, aware of Lucy's sudden discomfort. "You're always welcome, though. You know that, right?"

"Of course," Lucy said, masking her sadness. It was becoming more and more clear she should not be growing too attached to these people. Before she would know it, she'd be back in the cold, dark, heartless mansion she called home.

Erza and Jellal gave Lucy a longing look but eventually left, Lucy trailing behind them until she broke apart to find Cana. She waved goodbye to the two and offered a smile which faded away once she had turned away from them. As she weaved her way through the tents alone, a breeze blew through the camp and Lucy found herself rubbing her arms against a slight chill, something she thought quite unseasonable.

Little did she know, the cold only existed inside her.

 **A/N:** Don't forget to leave a review of what you guys thought of this week's installment! And thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and this story. There's still plenty more to come so keep checking back. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!


	9. Chapter 9 - Revelation

**TO MY READERS:** I'm going to try really, really hard next week to post earlier. I haven't been writing a lot lately and I need to have chapters ready before Monday so all I have to do is edit them and then post. I apologize for being so late but I'm going to strive to get Chapter 10 up for 9pm the _latest_ next week. I promise! Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and I'll see you guys next time.

 ** _IX - Revelation_**

By the time Lucy arrived back at Cana's trailer, everyone in the circus was hustling about in preparation for the night's show. Lucy had to carefully dodge a few of the workers who were running against time to get to wherever they needed to be. She quickened her pace to the trailers until she finally made it to the gated area. Remembering she didn't have a key, Lucy hurriedly climbed the high fence and rushed to Cana's trailer, out of breath and sweating by the time she had made her way down the long pathway.

"Cana, it's me," Lucy said, knocking heavily on the door of her friend's home.

"Come in," Cana replied sounding oddly stern. Lucy turned the knob of the door and headed inside to find Cana sitting at the kitchen table with her back to her. She was wearing another costume, similar to one Lucy first met her in, but this one had a beige off-the-shoulder shirt, a brown belt, and a red skirt with mismatching patches of purple and blue fabric. A red bandana was wrapped around her head and her long brown hair was curled perfectly as it fell on her shoulders.

"Oh, I was hoping I would catch you," Lucy said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and moving to sit in front of Cana. As she walked around, she glanced down to see she was reading something from a black, leather-bound book.

Lucy immediately recognized it as her notebooks of astrology. And to Cana's left was her mother's brown leather copy. Lucy's heart dropped to her stomach and she suddenly felt ill.

"W—where did you get those?" Lucy asked, her voice shaking. A part of her was angry at Cana for having snuck around the bedroom Lucy had slept in, the only way for her to have the journals. But she knew this was Cana's trailer and Lucy was only a guest. She should have been more careful.

"I went to go clean up the guest room and I found you left your purse behind. I knocked it over and out came these journals," Cana explained, placing the ribbon bookmark back in Lucy's notebook and folding her hands over it. "But now I'm confused. If you're Layla, then who's Lucy?"

Lucy stared at Cana completely dumbstruck and by the looks of her face, Cana had already come up with her own conclusion. Either way she looked at it, Lucy had been caught and there was no way this would end well.

"Layla," Cana said, waiting for Lucy to say something.

"If I tell you the truth, you have to promise to keep it a secret. The rest of the circus can't know who I really am," Lucy said, sliding into the booth. Cana stared at her long and hard, thinking. Finally, she nodded her head in agreement and Lucy began her story. And she didn't just tell her the circumstances which brought her to the circus. She revealed _everything_ to Cana: her family, her upbringing, her mother's love of astrology, her mother's death, how miserable her life became when her father turned cold after Layla's passing, her forced marriage to the disgusting Duke of Junelle, and her escape from the Heartfilia property.

After all was said, Lucy waited for Cana to say something—anything—to break the awkward silence. Lucy had just laid herself out on the table in front of this girl she barely knew and she couldn't have felt more vulnerable.

"So, your name isn't Layla?" Cana said at last. Lucy shook her head.

"No, that was my mother's name. My real name is Lucy Heartfilia." Cana nodded, appearing to still be absorbing all the new information.

But Lucy hadn't revealed everything just yet. She looked over to the open bay windows next to her and began to pull the shades down. Cana looked at her questioningly but didn't stop her. When Lucy thought it was safe enough, she breathed in deeply and brought her hands to the back of her neck, unclipping the wig and gently removing it from her head. The whole time, she made sure to keep her eyes away from Cana's in fear she would stop. There was no going back now and she figured if she had told Cana her whole life story she could at least reveal who she really was.

Once she pulled back the hairnet and shook out her long, blonde hair, Lucy let her eyes slowly glance up at Cana who stared at her in complete and utter disbelief. Lucy brought the wig down into her lap and had to resist the urge to tug on the hair in her nervousness. Though she had given away her real identity to Cana, she hoped to just keep her secret between the two of them. Who knew if the Master would send her away to prevent future problems with Jude Heartfilia.

"Is there anything else that's fake about you?" At first, Lucy thought Cana's words to be insulting but when she saw her lips turn up in a sly smirk, she relaxed and shook her head.

"You sure about that?" she pressed, her eyes falling to Lucy's chest who's cheeks turned pink as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm positive," Lucy said defensively. Cana laughed and became serious again.

"So, how come you don't want me to tell anyone else about who you really are?" she inquired. Lucy leaned back into the booth's cushion and sighed.

"The wedding between me and the Duke is very important to my father. He is an extremely powerful man who has a great amount of influence on this town and I don't doubt for a second he's already come up with some kind of plan to try and bring me back now that I've been gone for a whole day. If the Master found out who my family was I know he would want to give me back as soon as possible to prevent possible damage to the circus," she explained. Cana shook her head.

"No way," she replied. "Whether you want to believe it or not, you've become a part of our family, of Fairy Tail. The Master would never throw you out against your will, especially if what you say about your father is true."

"But you've all had to endure so much with thieves and kidnappers. Why would you all risk something like that happening again with someone you don't even know? And, moreover, for someone who trespassed and broke one of your the biggest rules?" Lucy demanded. Cana thought for a moment before she responded, her face kind but her tone careful.

"I take pride in my ability to read people which is part of the reason I'm so skilled at tarot and palm readings. From the moment I met you I knew you were an exceptionally good person and that is reason enough for all of us to believe in you."

Lucy stared at Cana, attempting to find a flaw in her serious expression. Finding none, Lucy oddly felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders. For a long time she had wondered whether the good heart her mother always told her she had was still inside her or if her father's abuse had taken bits and pieces away. But hearing Cana tell her she could sense her warmth and compassion was enough to make Lucy believe she still had good left in her; that she wasn't loosing her heart as her father most certainly had when Layla passed.

"Lay—err, Lucy, are you alright?" Cana asked gently, placing her warm hand on Lucy's. Suddenly, she felt something wet trickling down her face and pressed her fingers against her cheek. She was crying. Upon realizing her outburst of emotion, Lucy let out a laugh and the tears came out even harder. Cana seemed confused for a while until Lucy began to rub her eyes, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry," she said, brushing the last of the tears away. "I'm alright. It's just—I'm so glad to have someone like you in my life now." Cana looked at her with pure and utter sympathy, something Lucy had come to hate after Layla's death. But in Cana's eyes, it wasn't sympathy for how her life had turned out so far: she understood Lucy in a way no one had and shared her feelings.

Cana stood from her seat at the table and came to embrace Lucy in a warm and loving hug. Though she was taken aback by the gesture at first, Lucy wrapped her arms around her friend and allowed more tears to cascade down her face.

"We're all a part of your life now," Cana whispered into Lucy's ear. "You'll never be alone now."

Lucy sniffed and her body soon began to quiver as she cried. However, these tears weren't shed as they had been when her dress had been ruined by the Duke: they were tears of joy, of finally having people in her life who could maybe love her for her and not what her family made her. Perhaps revealing her true identity to the rest of the circus wasn't such a terrible idea anymore.

Once Lucy had calmed down enough, Cana gently withdrew and stared at her to take in the real Lucy. Cana couldn't help but think she looked so much more beautiful with her blonde hair, though the black wig certainly made her look attractive. Lucy's blonde locks just seemed less severe and made her look happier.

"I hate to do this, but I have to get to my tent. The circus is going to open in another hour and a half. Do you want to come with me? You can stay in the back room if you'd like," Cana suggested. Lucy shook her head and rubbed her eyes and cheeks again.

"No. I think I'd rather stay here for tonight," she replied. Cana glared at Lucy for a while before nodding her head and moving towards the door.

"Oh, by the way, before I forget," she said, fingering the small rack to the left of the door that held a number of keys, "here." She selected one and threw it to Lucy who struggled to finally catch it. She glanced down and saw a golden key with little vine decorations lining the frame.

"What's this?" she asked, confused. Cana shrugged and grabbed her flask on the edge of the kitchen counter.

"It's a key to enter the trailer park, my trailer, and unlock the gate around my tent. I figured you should have a copy, too," she replied. Lucy stared at her in shock, still surprised at how kind everyone had been so far since her arrival.

"Really?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"Yup. You'll probably be helping some of us late into the night so I thought it would be better for you to have a key to my place instead of trying to wake me up to get inside. It's easier that way." Lucy smiled and nodded graciously.

"Thank you so much, Cana," she said. Cana smiled but waved her hand casually, walking out the door. Lucy glanced back down at the key and smiled, tightly clutching it her hand. Though it seemed like just a simple key, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Cana didn't have to open her home to a complete stranger, but because she had such strong feelings with Lucy, she accepted her—even though she didn't know the whole truth about who she was.

Tired and wanting nothing more than to crawl into bed, Lucy tucked her new key into the pocket of her shorts, gathered up her journals, and headed into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and quickly shut all the windows, placing her wig and hairnet on one of the shelves until she would have to use it again in the morning. Laying in the bed, Lucy slowly felt herself falling to sleep as she held her journals to her chest and sensed her key pressing against her leg in the shorts.

She soon found herself loosing consciousness as she stared up at the plain white ceiling, a smile breaking across her lips.

A sudden and loud knock woke Lucy from her sleep, causing her to shoot up. Her journals fell to the floor and her heart thudded loudly in her chest at the sound of someone at the door. She whipped her head around the room to find the curtains were still drawn but she didn't dare move from her bed. Instead, she spoke loudly enough for the person outside to hear her.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice groggy and scratchy. Hopefully it was just Cana having forgotten her keys to get back into the trailer.

"Layla? It's Natsu," answered a soft, deep voice. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Her eyes widening at the realization her natural blonde hair wasn't hidden by her wig, Lucy began to panic.

"Uh…" she called out, scrambling to grab her hairnet and wig. As she crawled over the bed to retrieve them, she fell to the floor with a loud _thud_ , eliciting a groan of pain.

"If this is a bad time, I can come back later," Natsu offered, obviously having heard Lucy fall and possibly having seen the trailer shake from the sudden drop.

"No, I uh… I just need a minute!" Lucy called back, struggling to place the hairnet and wig on her head properly without a mirror. Hoping Natsu still couldn't see her, she crouched her way out of the bedroom into the bathroom where a small mirror hung over the sink. She carefully tucked all her hair under the net and yanked on the wig, clipping it securely under the nape her neck. Checking to make sure no little strands of hair were poking out anywhere, Lucy quietly emerged from the bathroom and came to stand at the door of the trailer, quickly straightening her shirt and shorts so she didn't just look like she had rolled out of bed.

"Hi," Lucy said upon opening the door. Natsu stood before her with his vest slung over his shoulders and his performance pants on. He looked like he was ready to take the stage in a matter of minutes and Lucy looked at him with confusion.

"Aren't you supposed to be in your tent?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in. Natsu shook his head and stayed at the landing of the small staircase leading into Cana's trailer.

"Well, actually, my tent wasn't all that busy so I figured I'd come by," he explained.

"Why? Do you need help with something?" Lucy asked, standing in front of the door and allowing it to close on her backside.

"No, not exactly," he replied, appearing to be struggling with his choice of next words. "I was thinking, maybe we could hit the beach together." Lucy cocked her head to the side, still confused.

"You know…" Natsu said, getting frustrated. "As friends?"

Lucy's eyes widened and felt her heart jump a little at Natsu's suggestion. But with her excitement came the conversation she had had with Erza earlier in the day, warning her against spending too much time with Natsu.

"Oh," she said, not sure of what to say. "I actually…um…"

"It's only going to be for a little while," Natsu said reassuringly. "I'll have to get back to my tent to warm up for the Goodnight Ceremony but I just wanted to kill some time with a friend."

When the word friend hit Lucy's ears, she began to relax. Surely there was nothing wrong with spending just a little bit of time with a _friend_. Plus, she and Natsu would be spending a lot of time working together and what was work without any play? Hanging out at the beach most certainly wasn't a crime.

"Sure," Lucy said with a smile. "That sounds quite relaxing. What about Happy?" she asked, looking around the trailer park for the small blue-haired boy.

"Oh, well… I actually didn't tell him I was going to see you," he said, scratching the back of his neck. Lucy's face might've revealed her surprise but only for a moment. She soon replaced it with a smile and stepped to walk down the stairs, closing and locking the trailer door behind her. She turned back around to Natsu and beamed, excited to spend some time with her friend.

"Alright, let's go, then," she said. Natsu smiled and nodded, guiding her to the entrance of the park and making a left to go down the long line of trailer homes.

When they came to the tall black gate encircling the circus, Lucy looked at him with confusion. He smirked and gripped the thick metal rods keeping the gate up, seamlessly scaling it with ease. Lucy bent her head back to see Natsu swing one leg over the edge and gesture for her to follow suit.

"Carefully, now," he advised as she gripped the rods in her already sweaty hands. Lucy nodded nervously but soon found her footing on the wall, climbing slowly until she came a few inches below Natsu. He smiled down at her and offered his hand, gently pulling her up the rest of the way so she could bring her leg over the edge to climb down the other way.

"Wait, wait, wait," Natsu said, putting his hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Take a look."

Lucy shifted her head to her right and saw that at their height the two of them could see the entirety of the circus all alight. The carousel towards the entrance shone the brightest with its colorful assortment of bulbs flashing and spinning as the ride moved around. Each tent had its own light at their very top and many of the signs were fully lit, showcasing whatever performance was taking place inside. And the small lanterns scattered above the camp pulsed softly against the beauty of the circus.

"Wow…" she breathed, taking in the sight. "It's beautiful."

"Sometimes, before a performance, I'll climb the wall just to get a view of the whole place all lit up like this," Natsu said. "It helps to calm me." Lucy turned back to him, his face glowing with the lights twinkling in the rising night.

"You get nervous?" she asked. Natsu looked at her and chuckled.

"Everyone gets a little nervous," he replied, bringing his other leg over the edge of the gate. "C'mon, let's get going before someone catches us." Lucy nodded and began to climb down the wall beside Natsu, his hands falling on her waist as he helped her down the rest of the way onto the sand below them.

On the ground once again, the two walked towards the splashing waves of the ocean, the enticing smell of seawater luring them both in and the sound of seagulls above resonating through the air. Lucy followed Natsu to the edge of the water, both of them stopping a few inches in front of where it lapped against the shore. The sun was hovering only just above the horizon, casting an orange glow over the land and giving the ocean a deep purple hue. Lucy sighed as she took in the sight, the gentle ocean breeze wetting her face with drops of water and small particles of sand. It was the calmest she had ever felt.

"I love when we come to towns with beaches," Natsu whispered. "Happy and I usually come to the shore to watch the sunset if we're not too busy."

"How come you didn't bring Happy then?" Lucy breathed.

"I wanted to show you first," he replied. "Happy will be here for a lot more sunsets, but you…"

"It's really pretty," Lucy blurted out, attempting to get Natsu to stop talking about her. _I'll only be here for two weeks,_ she finished for him.

"Yeah, it is," he stammered, sensing Lucy's sudden tension.

Natsu wasn't entirely sure why he had arrived at Cana's trailer to ask Lucy to "hang out" with him. He knew he shouldn't've: it had all the signs of a date but he kept trying to tell himself it wasn't.

It was simply two friends spending some time together.

Alone.

Natsu sighed but looked out onto the ocean as the sun began its descent. Yet, every once in a while, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes to Lucy. Every time he did so, it was like he was seeing a different girl, each glance bringing about new features he didn't notice before.

The orange glow of the sunset shone against her black hair—almost like the tendrils were made of glass—and illuminated her face in a way that cast shadows over her features in strange but elegant ways. Her eyelashes appeared longer and her pale skin practically shimmered against the light. Natsu couldn't help but feel his stomach flip as he stared at her, something he hadn't ever experienced. It was odd and different and alarming: but also incredibly exhilarating.

After a while, the sun finally fell beyond the horizon and a darkness slowly descended over Acalypha. Natsu ripped his eyes away from Lucy and gestured for her to take a seat in the sand next to him. She splayed out her legs and leaned into her wrists, staring into the sky as it began to unveil the stars.

"I think we'll be able to see Libra tonight," she said, shifting her eyes to Natsu.

"Who?" he asked.

"Libra is a constellation," Lucy replied. "You can only really see it during this month and exactly at nine o'clock. Maybe we'll catch it."

"I think I've seen a few constellations before," Natsu said, crossing his arms behind his head and falling into the sand.

"The most common constellation is the Big Dipper," she said.

"Yeah, I think I've seen that a few times."

"Then there's also the Ursa Minor or Little Bear which contains a star known as the North Star. Many types of travelers would use the North Star to navigate their way home," Lucy explained.

"So, what about this Libra constellation? What's so special about it?" Natsu asked.

"Well it's one of the twelve zodiac constellations and because so many little stars make it up, it can be very difficult to find it," she began. "But the most important stars that create it are known as the Beta Librae, the Gliese 570, the 23 Librae, the Gliese 581, HE 1523-0901, and the Methuselah or HD 140283. Those are the stars which give Libra its shape."

"How do you know all this?" Natsu asked, amazed.

"Oh, well, I…um… I studied astrology mostly from textbooks I bought from bookstores," Lucy stammered.

"You must read a lot," Natsu snorted.

"Well, yeah, I do, actually," Lucy smiled. "Don't you?"

"Not really. I mean, I know how to but it's hard to find the time, what with practices and traveling and all that."

"I guess with the life you live, you don't really have to read much to have an adventure."

Natsu couldn't help but glance at Lucy this time. She was acting weird again and he hoped he could get a little more information out of her this time. Something told him, however, he wasn't going to get much.

"What do you mean? Don't you have a good life?" he asked.

"Not particularly," she replied. "I'm not an orphan if that's what you're asking, but I haven't lived very fully. I've always used books as an escape from my real life, to slip into the world of different and amazing characters. And I love writing stories as well."

"You write, too?"

"Only a little," she said. "I haven't written a real concrete story yet but I've had passing ideas. I've written most of the good ones down just so that I don't forget but I haven't actually created a plot."

"What kind of stories?" Lucy felt herself blushing but forced herself to answer the question.

"Most romance stories," she said bashfully. "But I've had some adventure ideas as well. They're all mainly about love, though." It was quiet again between the two, the only sound coming from the waves rolling and splashing their way onto the sand.

"So you're basically an astrologist, you love to read, and you want to be a writer," Natsu said, checking off a list in his head. "If there anything else I should know?"

Lucy thought about disclosing her secret to Natsu as she did with Cana only about an hour or so ago. But she didn't want to ruin a pleasant evening with such a depressing conversation. So, like she had been doing for a while now, she lied.

"Nope. I'm an open book," she said, cringing internally. She was becoming scarily good at telling lies. _So much for being a good person._

"Good to know." Natsu hoped he didn't sound suspicious and continued to stare up at the darkening sky.

Once the beach became dark and the moon rose in the sky, Natsu stood up from the ground and dusted off the sand from his pants. He stared down at Lucy who had closed her eyes, the cool ocean breeze flowing through her hair and pulling it behind her. He shook his head and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I'd like to take a rain check on seeing Libra," he said when Lucy opened her eyes. "I have to head back and start getting ready for the ceremony."

"Oh, right, of course! I almost forgot," she said, standing and brushing off her shorts. She stood in front of Natsu and smiled.

"Thank you for taking me out here," she said. "It was nice to hang out." Natsu smiled back and spun on his heel to return to the gate.

As they headed toward the circus, behind them, Natsu and Lucy's body imprints remained in the sand only until the water—acting as a god—came to wash them away.

 **A/N:** Please leave a review for me and tell me what you think!


	10. Chapter 10 - Of Water and Ice

**TO MY READERS:** Okay, well, I know this chapter is late but I think it'd be better to say new chapters will be up between Monday nights and Tuesday mornings. My deadlines are kinda all over the place right now. Also-side note-since yesterday, I will be working on giving you guys as much Gajevy as humanely possible. THE SHIP WILL LIVE ON! Please enjoy this chapter and I'll see you next week.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN ANY of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **X - Of Water and Ice**_

When Lucy returned to Cana's trailer, she was completely drained of energy. She practically stumbled into her friend's home, Natsu having left her at the entrance to the park. It had been awhile since she returned and she had heard the Goodnight Ceremony ending. Cana would be returning soon and Lucy was just beginning to relax in the guest room when her friend came staggering into the trailer—clearly drunk—laughing as she moved to sit at the kitchen table.

"Lucy!" she shouted, taking another swig of her flask. "Oh, Lucy!"

"SH!" Lucy said, slamming the door closed and attempting to keep Cana's voice down. She began giggling uncontrollably and raised her finger to her lips, mimicking Lucy's gesture.

"Aren't you coming to the dining hall for dinner?" she slurred.

With her thoughts having been on her and Natsu's non-date, Lucy had totally ignored her growling stomach, demanding food. It was only until Cana had just mentioned the idea of dinner she finally felt her mouth water.

"Um…well, I suppose so," Lucy replied.

"I should let you know Juvia and Gray came to my tent earlier tonight," Cana said, her voice becoming steadier. "They said they're going to need your help tomorrow morning with rehearsing a routine." Lucy's eyes lit up and she felt excitement bubbling inside her stomach, accompanying the hunger.

"Really?" she asked, clasping her hands together against her chest.

"Mhm," Cana replied. "I figured you'd wanna go to the dining hall to eat and maybe talk to them about the rehearsal. What time they need you and stuff."

"Alright, I'll go," Lucy said. "Will you be coming?" Cana shook her head and took another sip of her drink.

"I just made my way back here," she said. Lucy shrugged her shoulders and headed to the door, smiling like an idiot as she made her way out of the trailer park once again to meet with everyone in the dining hall.

When she arrived, the tent was as busy and as filled as it had been the first night Lucy was brought in. Some people were still in line getting food and drinks but she wanted to find the table where her new acquaintances would be eating. She first was able to spot the short, blue-haired girl named Levy who she had been introduced to earlier that morning. Levy must've noticed Lucy's arrival because she eagerly waved her hand to her, inviting her to join her.

"Hi, Layla!" Levy smiled. Lucy sat down to take a seat across from Levy who had a book opened on the table.

"Hello, Levy," she replied, glancing down at the book. It wasn't printed like a regular novel but was thick with pages filled by someone's handwriting. As she got comfortable, she noticed Levy was holding a pen in her hand.

"What are you writing?" Lucy asked, hoping she wasn't prying.

"Oh, nothing very interesting," Levy answered. "I'm the bookkeeper of the circus. I don't perform or anything special like that, but I keep records of everything that goes on while we travel. How much money we've spent on food, clothes, props, etc., and also how much we make in each town. It's very important work." Lucy looked at Levy and saw her face contradicted the last sentence.

"Of course it is," Lucy said, reassuringly. Levy shrugged her shoulders, placed the pen in the spine of the book, and closed it, pushing it off to the side.

"Enough about me and my boring job," she said with a smirk. "I heard Natsu decided to train you as his assistant." Lucy couldn't help but feel the blush rise in her cheeks at the memory of her fairly intimate moment with Natsu.

"Um…yeah, he is," she replied. "But I don't think I'll be ready for a while." Levy waved her hand at her and shook her head.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. Do you think you'll really be able to perform on stage?"

"Well, I'd hope so. It's going to be a long process, though. So, how long have you worked with the circus?"

"Longer than me, that's for sure," answered a rough, low voice. Lucy looked up and saw the tough-looking guy with long black hair she was introduced to as Gajeel. He came behind Levy and leaned his arm on Levy's head, giving Lucy a smirk. "How's it going, Shrimp?" Levy's cheeks turned a bit red but she pouted angrily as Gajeel put his weight on her head.

"Oh, um…hello," Lucy said awkwardly, recalling how Gajeel felt about her seemingly light punishment for trespassing.

"Hey," he replied. "So, Salamander really is training you, huh?" Lucy nodded, twisting her fingers with nervousness. For some reason, something about Gajeel was quite intimidating but Levy just appeared a tad bit annoyed.

"We were just talking about that before you interrupted us, idiot," Levy sighed. Gajeel grinned and laughed, taking a seat to Levy's right which was at the head of the table.

" _Anyways_ ," she continued, giving Gajeel a pointed look—though it did hold a slight smile—before returning to Lucy. "I've been with the circus since it started, actually. I was one of the first people to join. The idiot sitting next to me joined after nearly robbing us blind." Lucy couldn't help her eyes widening at the mention of this portion of the circus' history.

 _And he was pissed about_ my _punishment?_ she thought to herself. Gajeel must've noticed her expression—or read her mind—because his steely red eyes found Lucy's. She felt her body stiffen, Levy taking immediate notice and elbowing Gajeel in the side.

"That was a long time ago," he grumbled.

"Only about two years in my book," Levy smirked. "When we put out a notice for their arrest with the police of Magnolia, we could only find Gajeel and Juvia who's name was cleared by Gray when she refused to put up a fight after being captured. We tried to get them to talk so we could catch the other thieves but they wouldn't give anything up; and they didn't have any of the money either.

"The Master kept Gajeel's membership of the circus a secret for a while until he felt everyone was sort of okay with it. He fought a lot of us but Juvia pushed for him to join since they're so close." Levy winced a little at the memory. "But no one was really ready for it."

"Like I said," Gajeel continued, "it was a long time ago." Levy looked up at him and sighed.

"So," Lucy said, trying to strike up another conversation. "Gajeel, you, um…eat metal?" she asked awkwardly. He turned to her and let out a laugh before answering her.

"Yeah, I eat metal, among other things," he replied vaguely. Levy shook her head and smiled.

"Gajeel has this eating disorder called pica. He used to eat anything and everything in sight until he settled on metal as his favorite food group. Funny thing is though, he hasn't had any problem with it. For him it's like eating a regular meal. He just also happens to amaze people with it."

"Isn't it dangerous, though?" Lucy asked.

"Not if you're me," Gajeel smirked.

"I think Gajeel has eaten one too many screws for it to bother him anymore." Lucy shifted around in her seat and saw Gray and Juvia standing behind her, both of them dressed in their casual attire. She smiled at the sight of the two, the excitement of her new job returning to mind.

"Gray, Juvia, hi," she said. Juvia smiled and gave a slight wave while Gray moved to take a seat across from Lucy, Juvia tagging close behind.

"Hey, Layla," he said. "I'm guessing Cana already told you what Juvia and I had in mind for tomorrow?" Lucy nodded eagerly.

"I'd be more than happy to help you guys," she said.

"Juvia would normally be the one to assist Gray-sama, but she has to get a fitting for a new costume and we won't have another chance to rehearse it for another few days," Juvia explained. Lucy nodded.

"I just want to let you know, it could be a little bit out of your comfort zone," Gray warned. "It's not something we would ask of someone with little to no experience but I assume you're about the same height and weight as Juvia so you'd be a perfect substitute."

"It's alright," Lucy replied. "I'm completely okay with it."

"Juvia isn't so sure she is…" Lucy heard Juvia mumble to herself. She allowed her eyes to meet Juvia's who held a defensive and frankly frightening look in her gaze. Lucy felt a shiver go up her spine but she smiled and nodded to Juvia and her gaze let up a bit, a smile breaking across her face as well.

"What time do you think you'll need me?" Lucy asked.

"Eight o'clock sharp," she replied. "Juvia will have to be at her fitting for nine in the morning but she and Gray should both be there to brief you on everything."

"Okay," Lucy said. "I'll be there!"

The next morning, Lucy woke up before her alarm even went off. The excitement was too much to contain and she even had had a hard time falling asleep that night. But she wasn't about to let a rough night's sleep ruin this day. As she rolled out of bed to put her wig on she saw it was six o'clock in the morning. Cana would still be in bed for another thirty minutes so Lucy decided she would go ahead and make breakfast for the both of them.

Yesterday, when Cana was in the guest room cleaning, she had left Lucy a few of her old clothes to wear for the time being. Some of them were just shorts and shirts, but there were two dresses Lucy's eyes had been drawn to immediately. One was long, spaghetti-strapped, and beige with a sheer top and a lace detailing underneath, exposing the midriff. The second was also spaghetti-strapped but it was a beautiful combination of a very sheer pink mixed in with interchanging colors of blue, yellow, orange, and green, almost giving off the illusion the dress was made of flowers.

Despite how much she loved the two dresses, Lucy wanted to wait to wear them in case something special came up. So, keeping the day ahead in mind, she chose a pair of white shorts and a cut-off sleeved denim shirt, the ends of which she tied under her ribcage.

Emerging from the bedroom, Lucy began rummaging through the small fridge to find something she could use to whip up a good breakfast. Since most everyone in the circus relied on the dining hall for food, it wasn't very surprising to find Cana had very little in her fridge: there was a half-empty carton of eggs, a half-empty bottle of milk, some beers, cheese, and butter. Though she had made breakfast for Lucy after she spent her first night at the circus, she could tell Cana hadn't really had much to work with.

Deciding on making a simple meal of eggs, Lucy removed the carton and the packet of yellow cheese, familiarizing herself with the small kitchen. There were only four cabinets above the counter where the oven, sinks, and fridge resided: one had plates, utensils, and napkins, two contained pots, bowls, measuring cups, and a knife block filled with knives of varying sizes, and the last one was filled with nothing but cups. Even though Cana was the only person who lived in the trailer before Lucy came along, she couldn't help but think her friend had an awful lot of cups and mugs for one person. Thinking nothing of it, Lucy grabbed the large frying pan she needed as well as a large spatula and the plates and forks the two would be needing.

About halfway through making their breakfast, Cana's alarm went off to Lucy's left and she could hear her groaning as Cana moved to turn off the ringing. A minute later, she walked out of her room, her brown hair a tousled mess and wearing a tight-fitting crop top and a pair of old workout shorts. Despite her haggard appearance, Lucy couldn't help but think Cana was one of the most beautiful women in the entire circus.

"Morning," she grumbled to Lucy who was busy moving the eggs around the pan.

"Good morning," Lucy smiled as Cana made her way to the table, slumping into the booth.

"You're up awfully early. I thought you were a night person," she said. Lucy shrugged and moved to quickly start up a pot of coffee.

"I couldn't sleep so I woke up and decided to make something to eat."

"How nice," Cana said, haphazardly throwing up her hair into a loose bun. "What time does Gray and Juvia need you?"

"Eight o'clock. Juvia has a costume fitting and she and Gray really wanted to try out this new routine so Gray asked me to do it in Juvia's stead." Cana nodded, eyeing the coffee pot as though she were willing it to make the caffeinated beverage faster.

A few moments later, Lucy was serving out her cheesy eggs and grabbed the biggest mug she could find to give Cana her morning coffee. The two girls sat across from each other and ate in relative silence, only the sounds of chewing and forks scraping against plates filling the tiny home.

"Did you and Natsu happen to go to the beach last night?" Cana asked suddenly. Lucy nearly choked on her eggs and had to gulp down some coffee before answering Cana's question. Looking over the rim of her mug, she noticed Cana's lips turn up in a smirk.

"Who told you that?"

"You did, just now. Well, Happy also told everyone Natsu had left their tent to go see you so he was the one who spilled it initially."

"It wasn't a date, I swear!" Lucy said immediately. "We were just hanging out on on the beach as friends." Cana held up her hands in surrender.

"Hey, I'm not judging. I say go for it. Natsu's never had a chance to hang out with girls outside the circus. Plus I'm sure he'd love to get familiar with the unfamiliar, if you know what I mean." Lucy looked at Cana with confusion before her eyes fell to Lucy's chest. Lucy let out a shriek and covered herself, her face turning as red as a tomato.

"Stop it!" she cried out, embarrassed. Cana giggled and downed the rest of her coffee before standing to go back in her room.

"I gotta get ready for the day, so I'll see you for lunch, okay?" she said, her eyes full of mischief. Lucy calmed down some but her face was still red when she nodded to her friend. Cana laughed and locked herself in her bedroom, leaving Lucy to tidy up prior to her departure.

It took Lucy a while before she found Gray and Juvia's tent, making it just in time for eight thirty. Pulling back the curtain, Lucy stepped inside to see the two were sitting at the edge of the stage together, eating their breakfast out of plastic plates provided by the dining hall.

"Oh, Layla," Gray said, wiping his mouth and setting his food aside. He jumped down from the stage and came to greet Lucy while Juvia hastily ate up the rest of her meal, coming to stand next to Gray.

"Good morning," she said to them.

"You made it just in time. Juvia was going to leave after finishing her breakfast and we were afraid you backed out," Gray said, putting his hands on his hips with a smirk.

"No, of course not," Lucy said waving her hands wildly. "It just took longer than I thought to clean up after cooking." Gray chuckled and gestured for Lucy to follow him and Juvia back up to the stage. He held out a hand of her to grab as Lucy jumped up onto the platform, Juvia making her way onto the stage quickly to look Lucy up and down.

"The routine you and Gray-sama will be working on requires a lot of trust," Juvia began. "You'll have to learn to relax yourself or else it won't work and something could happen. Just remember, Gray-sama knows what he's doing and Juvia trusts him." Lucy nodded.

"Alright, you should probably get going, Juvia," Gray said, laying his hand on her shoulder. "You don't want to be late." Juvia nodded and walked behind Gray to head down the stairs of the stage, slipping out the curtain and into the bustling camp.

"Okay," Gray said, clapping his hands together. "First, I just want to familiarize myself with you, if that's alright. I'll just need to lift you for a couple of seconds so I can get a feel of how this is going to work and then we'll move on to the actual routine."

"What exactly is the routine?" Lucy asked, watching as Gray moved to the curtain at the back of the stage. He reached between the two and pulled out two odd hands made out of metal. He strapped them onto his palms and fingers and moved back to stand in front of Lucy.

"I want to try and use the spheres to lift Juvia off the stage, make it appear as though she's walking on water," he said. When Lucy's eyes widened, Gray shook his head. "Don't worry, it'll only be about three feet off the ground. And I promise it'll work out just fine." Lucy let out a breath, whispering a "okay" for Gray to begin.

He came in front of Lucy, only a few inches away, and bent down in his knees a bit before stretching his arms and grabbing Lucy's waist gently. He glanced up into her eyes and smiled at her nervous expression.

"It's like Juvia said. Relax. If you tense up I won't be able to do this properly. It's gonna be alright. I've got you and I won't let you fall, I promise," he said reassuringly.

"Okay," Lucy whispered, her voice shaking. "I'll relax." Gray nodded and shifted his body around, preparing to lift Lucy in the air.

Once he got a good stance, Lucy slowly rose off the floor and was held up exactly three feet in the air by Gray who didn't appear to be struggling all that much. Getting a good enough feel for her, Gray lowered Lucy back down on the floor and walked to the back of the stage again, pulling out a rattling box.

"These are the spheres I use," he said, dragging it up to where Lucy was standing. "Juvia and I have specifically colored ones: her's are dark blue and mine are light."

"Like water and snow," Lucy said.

"Exactly. And these," Gray said, raising his hands up to Lucy's eye level, "are magnetic hands we hid underneath our skin-colored gloves, similar to the ones Natsu used when he gave you your first lesson. All the balls have a magnetic layer which reacts perfectly with the hands, making it appear as though Juvia and I control these spheres. We move them around precisely so it looks like streams of water."

"I remember seeing your guys' show. It was amazing!" Lucy gushed. Gray smiled and nodded, swaying his hands and causing the magnetic spheres to rise from the box.

It almost seemed as though Gray were dancing, guiding the spheres to move around him and Lucy. His long arms shifted around his body gently, stepping backwards and forwards just so like it was a choreographed dance. She marveled at how he commanded the objects until he brought his hands down at his sides, the spheres coming to float beside him where they resided. Suddenly, a loud and boisterous clap erupted from the seats, causing Lucy and Gray to snap their heads to Natsu, who sat on one of the benches.

"That was so beautiful, Ice Ballerina," he smirked cockily. Gray's jawed tightened.

"Better than you, Flame Brain, tossing your stupid little fires around," Gray snapped.

"At least I don't prance around the stage like a ninny," Natsu replied, a wide smile breaking across his face. Gray looked like he was about to say something in return but when he saw Lucy—almost like he had forgotten she was there—he shook his head and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"If you don't mind, idiot," he growled, "Layla and I are trying to rehearse."

"Eh, don't mind me," Natsu said, leaning on his hands as he got comfortable. "I just wanted to see you dance."

"Anyways," Lucy said, getting Gray's attention back. "How are we going to do this?" Gray moved to stand in front of Lucy again, controlling himself before answering.

"I just want you to stand perfectly still and relaxed. I'm going to make the spheres and myself do all the work. You just stand there, nice and calm," he said. Lucy nodded and took in a few breaths to get the nerves out. It didn't really work, but she gave Gray the okay before she could back out.

Gray slowly pushed his arms out towards Lucy, the spheres surrounding her in an instance. His hands rolled around with slight movements of his wrists and the balls began to swirl around Lucy. Though she wanted to see what was happening, she kept her eyes focused on Gray who was concentrating immensely on the movement of the spheres. Finally, Lucy felt the slightest pressure of the objects leaning into the skin from her knees to her feet. Only once did she dare to glance down to see the spheres were beginning to gather underneath her, preparing to lift her off the ground. Ever so gently, Gray raised his arms to the exact height he had lifted Lucy earlier. Following the command of their master, the spheres shimmied their way underneath Lucy's feet and rolled her off the floor, bringing Lucy up three feet in the air, slowly but surely.

Hovering steadily, Lucy gazed into Gray's eyes and began to laugh nervously but kept her body still. The only thing keeping her from falling onto the floor were the spheres Gray was controlling seamlessly but any sudden movements could ruin the whole thing.

"Perfect," Gray said softly, lowering his arms to bring Lucy back on the ground. When her feet touched the stage again, she let out a sigh and went to sit on the edge of the platform.

"That was so cool!" she exclaimed as Gray motioned for all the spheres to return to their box. He came to her side and sat next to her, smiling.

"You did very well," he said. "Now Juvia and I will be able to perform that in a few days after some more rehearsal time."

"I would love to see how you guys change it all," Lucy said, looking into Gray's midnight blue eyes.

"Sure," he said casually. "I'll make sure we reserve a seat for you in the front so you can watch it for yourself. I mean, you did help us out so it's the least we can do."

"That was nothin'," Natsu interrupted. Gray and Lucy turned their heads to him as he came to where the two were sitting.

"What would you know?" Gray said slyly. "It's not like you can lift anyone off the ground with flames." Natsu's face became contorted with anger and jealously.

"Actually, I asked the costume-makers to work on a fire-proof outfit for my new assistant. It'll be ready by next Monday so Layla and I will be working on a similar routine," he replied, crossing his arms and giving Gray a knowing smirk.

"You can't just steal a segment of our performance!" Gray shouted, standing and jumping from the stage to butt heads with Natsu.

"How 'bout I do it just to piss you off? Besides, Layla's a natural. We'll be able to master it in no time!" Lucy felt herself blush at Natsu's compliment but bounded from her seat to separate the two, wanting to prevent a fist fight.

"Knock it off, you guys," she warned, shoving the two away from one another. Gray and Natsu continued to glare at each other for a moment before Gray sprung back on the stage, removing his metal hands.

"You'll never be able to pull it off, Squinty Eyes," he said, hands on his hips as he stared down at Lucy and Natsu.

"Is that a challenge?" Natsu asked with a smirk.

"Yup. I want to see you _try_ to do what I just did with Layla. I'll give you until the second to last day we'll be in Acalypha. If you can't perform…" Gray lowered his eyes, thinking of a good punishment. "You have to be _my_ assistant for next summer. In a dress."

"What?!" Natsu shouted. Lucy's eyes widened as Gray's expression turned evil with a wide, stupid smile.

"You heard me," he countered. Natsu grumbled until he finally answered.

"Challenge excepted, Popsicle. But if I do pull it off, then you have to be _my_ assistant and you have to wear a dress, too."

"Copying both my routine and my bet," Gray said, shaking his head and walking away from the two. "Good luck, idiot. You're gonna need it."

Natsu grunted and spun on his heels, heading out the tent. Lucy looked after Gray who disappeared behind the curtain and she hurried to catch up with Natsu. Emerging from the structure, Natsu grabbed her wrist suddenly, dragging her down the pathways through the tents.

"Natsu!" she shouted as he pulled her behind him.

"C'mon, Layla," he said excitedly. He turned back to her and smiled. "We can do this together. I know we can!" Lucy stared into his eyes and saw the small sparks flickering in his dark irises. When she saw those oddly comforting flames, she smiled and laughed.

"Okay!" she replied, picking up her pace to come running beside him.

 _We_ can _do this,_ she thought. _We're gonna make a great team!_

 **A/N:** Don't forget to leave a review! Hope you guys like this one. :)


	11. Chapter 11 - A Heart Blooms

**TO MY READERS:** I truly apologize for not having uploaded a chapter last week. I've been going through a pretty rough time recently but I promise to keep writing for all of you. And, to make up for missing last Monday, there will be a chapter uploaded tonight and another on Wednesday. I hope you guys enjoy this weeks installments and after this week, I will go back to uploading between Monday nights and Tuesday mornings. Thank you for sticking around; it means so, so, so much to me!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XI - A Heart Blooms**_

"Natsu…" Lucy said in a warning tone.

"Just gimme a second, Layla," he replied, focusing all his attention on the metal balls he had hovering underneath Lucy's feet. But it wasn't the metal spheres lifting her off the ground that was making Lucy nervous; in fact, she had come to enjoy floating in the air since she and Natsu started working on their new routine two days before. It was the hot spheres he had lit under her feet which were protected by layers of the fire-proof sleeves awkwardly pulled up and folded around her feet and ankles. Though she had put on four of them prior to their rehearsal, the heat from the charcoal balls glued to the now fire retardant metal spheres was causing Lucy to feel uncomfortable.

"Natsu, please," she continued.

"Layla." Natsu had become very competitive since Gray challenged him to make an act exactly like his and Juvia's. It had already been two days since they made the bet and Lucy and Natsu had only just begun the trials with fire. Lucy had been nervous enough already since the only way they could make it appear like she was "on fire" was by creating a fire-proof layer over the metal spheres and pasting the charcoal on them.

Day one of fire and Lucy knew if they kept at this she would end up getting burned.

When the fire from the charcoal licked dangerously close to Lucy's left shin, she let out a shriek and raised her arms upward, kicking her leg to get it away from the flame. Following the sudden movement, Lucy saw the metal spheres were struggling under Natsu's command to keep her from falling on the floor. Finding it hard to regain her balance, her body slowly began to lean backwards, arms flailing. Bracing herself for the fall, she closed her eyes but to her surprise she didn't feel the hard impact of the wood floor on her back. Instead, when she opened her eyes, she found Natsu had caught her at the last minute in his arms, her body clenched inward.

"Natsu…" she said, looking up into his eyes. But he wasn't paying any attention to her; he was staring in shock as the metal spheres dropped to the floor, the charcoal catching the stage on fire.

"Shit!" he shouted, gently placing Lucy on her feet and running to the right of the stage behind them to grab the fire extinguisher. Lucy jumped back a few feet as the fire sought out the wood and began to grow. Natsu quickly yanked the pin and pointed the nozzle at the flame, pulling the trigger to release the white foam.

Lucy brought up her arms in front of her face to prevent the splattering white foam from getting on her face or in her eyes and when she lowered them to see the damage, her eyes widened in disbelief. A nice circle of burned and blackened wood now resided in the middle of the stage, its edges seemingly razor sharp from the fire's outstretched fingers. She glanced at Natsu a few inches in front of her who pulled his fingers through his long hair, breathing out in an exasperated sigh.

"Damn," he said, walking towards the steaming spot and staring down at the damage. He gently pressed his boot down on it and lifted it up immediately when the wood creaked and cracked in protest. The stage was now ruined.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," Lucy said, looking down at her hands which were folded in front of her. She slowly lifted her eyes to him as he stared at the mark.

"No, it's not your fault. I should've stopped when you told me to. I was too caught up in the bet and I forgot your safety comes first when we do this," he said.

"Still," Lucy continued. "I should have a little more faith in you." Natsu chuckled and turned around to replace the extinguisher over in its red box.

"It's alright," he said, coming to stand next to her. "Happy had a hard time getting used to it, too."

"What about Happy?" Natsu and Lucy turned to the voice and spotted Happy walking towards them, rubbing his eyes. His short blue hair was a mess from sleep and it almost appeared as if he had cat ears as he made his way towards the two.

"Ah, morning, Happy," Natsu said with a smile, crossing his arms over his chest as his sleepy friend reached them. It was already ten o'clock in the morning but Happy had decided to sleep in while Natsu and Lucy worked together on their new routine. He was now only just waking up, groggy and clearly wanting to crawl back in his couch.

"I was just telling Layla how hard it was for you to get used to using real fire in our shows," Natsu explained.

"Oh, yeah," Happy replied.

"So it was difficult?" Lucy asked, the reassurance helping her to feel less angry at herself for not doing well right off the bat.

"Definitely. It took me a while to get used to it but now I'm great!" he said, standing taller and placing fists on his hips as he looked up. Natsu laughed.

"You'll still need a little more work to be as good as your teacher," he said heartily. They both looked like they were about to start a war of words so Lucy interjected before things could escalate.

"Anyways!" she said loudly, looking at Happy. "What are doing up so early? I thought you were going to sleep in for a while."

"I did, but I woke up a few minutes ago from your screaming and decided I would go visit Wendy and Carla," he said.

"Don't you mean just to see _Carla_?" Natsu said in a taunting tone with a smirk on his lips. Happy glared at his friend but didn't give in.

"I came out here to see if you maybe wanted to go see them with me," he said to Lucy.

"I would love to," she replied, glancing at Natsu who shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine with me. I think we should take a break anyways, but come back after lunch," he said. "Hopefully there'll be some way we can fix this mess." Natsu, Happy, and Lucy all glanced at the floor with its awful looking black mark smack dab in its middle. It would take a while before it would be fixed again—Lucy knew that for sure—but where would Natsu perform his regular performances until then?

Happy came beside Lucy with a smile and motioned for her to follow him outside the tent. The two jogged down from the stage and headed towards the exit. Lucy allowed herself to glance at Natsu who was already heading to the back of the stage, most likely to take a nap after having risen so early in the morning.

Having retracted the curtain and upon stepping outside, Happy broke into a run, practically leaving Lucy in the dust before she caught on and kicked herself into high gear. Suddenly she was running only a foot behind the blue-haired boy, zipping behind, between, and in front of the alleyway of tents. A few times, Lucy had to come to heart-stopping skids to prevent a collision with other people who were moving around with crates and props for the performers. At one point she had to make such a hard left, her right foot slipped out from underneath her and she almost fell on the sandy ground. Luckily, she was able to ride the skid long enough to pick herself back up again and continue on with the run, laughing so hard it nearly made it impossible to catch her breath.

Lucy had never felt so alive and carefree. It felt like something was blooming inside her chest: something good and new she didn't know still existed within her. Like a sakura tree blooming in the springtime.

Though she had lost him for a moment after her near fall, Lucy came to find Happy had stopped in front of a sparkling pink tent with a sign that read _The Sky Sisters_ in swirling dark blue against a light pink backdrop. Lucy allowed herself to slow down to a jog as she came closer to the structure, marveling at how the late morning sun made the whole thing shimmer like a gem. It was absolutely stunning; quite possibly the most beautiful tent she'd seen.

"We're here," Happy said with a smile, facing the opening of the tent and flipping the fabric back to allow them admission. Lucy followed and stepped inside, taking immediate notice the tent was very different from the other tents she had been in before. Instead of the seats for the audience facing the stage straight on, they were arranged around a wooden circular fence encasing a large arena with a net set in the middle. As she took everything in she also saw there were two trapeze bars hanging from the ceiling, swinging gently as if they had just recently been used. Though on the outside the tent did not look that much bigger than the others, its size seemed to increase in the interior.

"Wendy! Carla!" Happy called, walking down the middle of the foremost seats towards the wooden fence. Lucy came up beside him and saw a black curtain hanging at the far end of the arena where the backstage was most likely located. Stopping in front of the fence, Lucy saw it came up to only her waist, an easy obstacle for anyone to simply climb over; including Happy. He lifted himself over the fence by his arms, sat down on the edge, and jumped down onto the other side. Though Lucy opened her mouth to protest, Happy gestured for her to follow.

"C'mon, it's alright," he said. "I do this all the time." Lucy smiled curiously at the young boy and raised her leg to swing it over the fence and join her friend. They walked to the middle of the enclosed area where the large net was situated and Happy continued to yell for his companions.

"Wendy! Carla! I brought Layla with me! She wants to see what you guys do! Come on out!" he shouted, a bit more loudly.

"Layla's here?!" asked an excited voice from above. Lucy and Happy snapped their heads up to the ceiling where they saw both Wendy and Carla sitting on a metal ramp, their legs swinging off the edge and their arms resting on one of the railings. Lucy was surprised she hadn't noticed the two when she spotted the trapeze bars.

"Hello," Lucy said, waving to the girls.

"We'll be right down," replied the same voice. One of them immediately stood up and ran to the end of the ramp on the right side where one of the bars hung. In better lighting Lucy recognized the girl as Wendy, the dark blue-haired girl she had met during breakfast on her first day at the circus. She appeared to Lucy to be the youngest of the troupe.

"C'mon, Carla," Wendy said. "It would be rude to ignore our guests."

"Well, I'd say it was quite rude for them to enter without being invited," replied a snotty sounding voice. Lucy turned her head back to where Wendy had just sat up from and saw the second girl still seated comfortably on the ramp.

"You haven't met Layla yet, though," Wendy pointed out. The second figure sighed and finally stood, going in the opposite direction as Wendy to her respective bar. When the two girls reached their rods, they grabbed on tight and began to swing forward. Following their movements, the metal chains started to lower them down. But the two girls decided not to waste the opportunity to show off.

Swinging their legs harder and faster, the bars stopped descending about halfway in the air and hovered their occupants over the net as they began their performance. Wendy was the first to go, bringing her legs up behind her in a graceful movement and lowering her abdomen over the slim bar. Finding her balance she slowly released her arms from the rod and brought them behind her in a graceful sweep, allowing herself to swing back and forth on the trapeze like a bird in flight with legs raised up, straight and tight together. After a few minutes, Wendy brought her arms in front of her and grabbed the bar again, waiting until the trapeze stopped swinging. Once it slowed down enough she lifted herself up into a handstand on the bar, relying completely on her arm strength to keep from falling onto the net below. Upon witnessing the spectacle, Lucy couldn't help but applaud.

Wendy wasn't yet finished, however. Bending her elbows and dipping her body forward, she let go of the bar and Lucy let out a frightened yelp, anticipating the girl's demise. To her surprise though Wendy was still in the air, holding onto the bar by her knees. Lucy clapped again and Happy joined in excitedly.

Using her upper body, Wendy began swinging the trapeze once again towards Carla who had somehow come to stand on her bar like it was a swing. Still gripping the chains on either side of her, Carla brought her toes behind her to the edge of the thin bar and allowed herself to fall down the back of the trapeze. Releasing the chains quickly her hands soon took hold of the bar again before she could fall too far below the contraption. Making use of the trapeze's motion, Carla began to swing her body forward until she gained enough momentum to flip herself over the trapeze in a circle. Going faster and faster and waiting until the trapeze pulled backwards on its swing, Carla suddenly released the bar and flew face forward at Wendy who held out her arms in anticipation of her friend's arrival.

As Carla flew through the air, she arched her body in the same form as Wendy when she was balanced on the trapeze, as graceful and stable as if she weren't hovering over her deathbed. Right when Wendy swung herself forward, Carla brought her arms from behind her for Wendy to grab. Clenching the bar as tightly as she could under her knees, Wendy took hold of her friend and they began to swing on the same trapeze together. Lucy and Happy both clapped fervently, preparing themselves for the next part of the routine.

As Wendy moved the trapeze to and fro, Carla began to gain her own speed by swinging her legs faster than her partner's bar. Right as the two reached the middle point of where the trapeze swung forward, Carla capitulated herself up into the air while Wendy lifted her up as far as she could in her position. Rising into the air, Carla straightened herself to practically a point until gravity began to take effect on her, pushing her back towards the ground. Bending at her waist, Carla started her descent while Wendy swung backwards and forced a large push to send her flying forward in order to save her friend. Arms outstretched, Carla awaited for Wendy to take her hands and they both came together again but only for another brief moment.

Swinging backwards, Wendy suddenly lifted her left leg and placed both her and Carla's weight onto the right side of the trapeze. Lucy brought her hands up to her chest, worried the trapeze would tilt too far and cause them both to slid right off the bar. But to her surprise, the trapeze moved to the left so the two girls faced Happy and Lucy as they swung back and forth. Once the contraption situated itself, Wendy threw Carla back into the air and swung herself over the bar to follow her friend. The two flew through the air like birds with their arms stretched like wings and their legs poised perfectly behind them, pausing in the air until the ground came close enough that they could crunch their upper bodies towards their knees with their legs straight to perform their front flips. Sensing the ground was getting closer, the girls pulled out at the exact same time and landed on bent knees, arms extended outward, with large smiles on their faces.

"Bravo!" Lucy bellowed, clapping as loudly as she could. Happy applauded enthusiastically as well but, when Wendy went to straighten up, she lost her footing and fell to the side, collapsing in the sand.

"Wendy!" Carla shouted, rushing to her friend's side.

"I'm alright," she said reassuringly as Lucy and Happy came to stand beside her. Coming closer to the girl, Lucy noticed her cheeks had became extremely red from receiving so much attention.

"Just give her some room," Lucy advised, pulling on Happy's shoulder to get him to back up.

"Are you sure you aren't hurt, Wendy?" Carla asked. Glancing at the second half of the two person act, Lucy noticed the young girl was stunningly beautiful: she had snow-white hair that came down just below her shoulders and large light brown eyes outlined by thick eyelashes. Though both girls wore the same outfit—black leotards with white tights—Carla had pulled her side bangs back with a small black pin shaped in the head of a cat with penetrating yellow eyes. Both Wendy and Carla were incredibly beautiful girls, made to perform and create spectacles to amaze the public.

"I'm sure," Wendy said, slowly beginning to lift herself off the ground. "I just lost my footing, that's all." Both Carla and Lucy approached either side of Wendy and gently helped to get her out of the sand. Standing once again, Lucy smiled and gushed at the Sky Sisters.

"That was incredible!" she said. "The way you two practically made gravity work _for_ you instead of against you was absolutely mind blowing! How long did that routine take?"

"It's simply just a matter of balance and finding your center," Carla explained. "This particular act only took us about a month to get down and we began showcasing it just this summer. It was very difficult at first but we were able to get the hang of it."

"Carla is a great partner and coach," Wendy piped in. The girls both turned to each other and smiled widely.

"I can't believe I haven't gotten the chance to see your acts," Lucy continued. "I would love to see it live."

"You should come one night!" Wendy said excitedly. "We'll make sure to save you a good seat."

"That would be amazing," Lucy said in earnest. "But Happy came here to say hello and invited me to tag along." The three girls turned towards the boy who looked up at them with a large smile.

"Actually, Natsu asked me earlier this morning to come here and request something of you girls," he said. Lucy stared at Happy in confusion as he went on. "He wants to know if you both would have the time to teach Layla some basic acrobatics. Ya' know, the back and front flips, maybe teach them both how to do side aerials and stuff. He knows your busy with your own performances but he wanted professionals to teach Layla instead of himself."

"We'd love to!" Wendy gushed. "We don't really have anything new we wanted to work on while we were here so we could most definitely give you both some lessons," she said to Lucy.

"That would be wonderful," Lucy replied.

"But gymnastics is not easy," Carla said warningly. "It's going to take some time and you most definitely will not come away unscathed. If you're ready to really commit to learning something as difficult as gymnastics—with no background, I presume—Wendy and I would be more than happy to offer our time."

"Thank you!" Lucy said.

"Alright, great," Happy replied. "I'll let Natsu know." Lucy and Wendy glanced at each other, laughing with eagerness.

"Sure, it seems like all fun and games now," Carla said with a small smile. After a while though, she became serious and stepped between the two girls with arms crossed.

"We'll want you and Natsu to be here tomorrow morning at nine _sharp_ ," she said sternly. "We'll begin with some simple warmups to get your body ready and then the real work begins."

"Don't scare her, Carla," Wendy said with a knowing smile. "Gymnastics might be hard work but its also enjoyable." Carla let out a short laugh.

"I wonder if Natsu feels the same," she countered. "I think that boy might've hit his head one too many times in our lessons."

"I promise we'll be here on time," Lucy said. "I look forward to learning from you both." Wendy smiled and Carla allowed for a small smile to stretch over her lips.

"I'm sure you do. For now," she said. "But I look forward to teaching you. This'll be fun. Make sure to get a good night's sleep. The real work starts tomorrow morning."

From Carla's teacher-like tone and brief warnings, Lucy knew she was in for a whole new world of hurt when her training began tomorrow morning.

 **A/N:** Please don't forget to leave a review! I sincerely enjoy hearing from you guys and it gives me that much more inspiration to continue on with my writing. I appreciate every single review I get and I love to know what you all are thinking after reading every chapter. 3


	12. Chapter 12 -Lessons from the Sky Sisters

**TO MY READERS:** I hope you enjoyed Monday's chapter because here is Chapter 12! I can't believe how much of this story I've written and how many people are actually reading it and loving it. Reading all your guys' reviews, seeing how many views each chapter gets, and the subscribers this story has gained is absolutely mind-blowing and is exactly the kind of encouragement I need to keep writing. Thank you all so much for your support and for sticking around despite my unplanned "break" last week. I love you all so much!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XII - Lessons From the Sky Sisters**_

That Friday Lucy spent most of the morning in pain and covered in sand. After having fallen for what felt like the twentieth time, she sighed and let her upper body collapse onto the ground to stare up at the ceiling. It wasn't long before Carla's face came into view as she stood above her new student.

"C'mon, Layla," she said, hands on her hips. "If you can't get the round off right you won't get a good side aerial!"

"Can't I just take a short break?" Lucy groaned. "We've been at this for hours and I'm just not getting it right!"

When Lucy first began with Wendy and Carla she was told there were three important gymnastic moves in learning a side aerial: a cartwheel, a dive cartwheel, and a round-off. Fortunately for Lucy, doing a strong cartwheel had come relatively easy since she had done them as a little girl. The dive cartwheel proved to be a bit more difficult and took her a good while until she was able to do it without breaking her wrists.

Now they were working on the round-off and Lucy had fooled herself into thinking it would be a cinch. She could not have been more wrong.

"I think taking a break would be a good idea," Wendy suggested, appearing beside Lucy as she continued to lay in the sand. "If she keeps going at the round off with negative results, it won't help anybody. Especially not Layla." Carla sighed and stepped back, giving Lucy some room to sit up.

"Alright. Maybe a short break would be best," she agreed reluctantly.

"Thank you," Lucy sighed, picking herself up off the sand and walking towards Natsu. He had come with her that morning to watch the practice and Happy had stayed back at the tent with the crew who were working on repairing the burned spot on the stage. All by himself, he was leaning up against the fence, sipping his coffee from the dining hall, and observing avidly.

"How you doing?" he asked once Lucy jumped onto the top of the fence and grabbed her water bottle to take a drink.

"Pretty good for someone who's come very close to breaking her ass," she laughed, gulping down her water. As if being put through a tough regimen of gymnastics wasn't bad enough, but Lucy was dressed in a very uncomfortable outfit. Right when she had walked into the Sky Sisters' tent four hours ago, they broke the news she would have to wear their uniform: a black leotard and white tights. Apparently, Cana's tight white undershirt and black leggings weren't going to cut it for her first day of gymnastics.

"Don't worry," Natsu said, bumping his shoulder against her. "You'll get the hang of it soon. And we still have plenty of time. You don't have to learn this side aerial thing all in one day, you know."

"I know that," Lucy said with a small smile. "But things have usually always come so easily to me."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, when I first learned about astrology I caught on really quickly and it simply became second nature to me. Almost as if it was a natural born gift. And I've always been fairly good at my studies. I don't know. I guess this is the first time in my life I haven't been able to catch onto something so easily." Lucy turned to Natsu who sat silently for a moment before finally speaking again.

"I think that's just a part of life," he said. "Nothing in this world can just be easily achieved, ya' know? Some things take a long while to learn before you finally get it and some things you just have to struggle for."

"What do mean?" Lucy asked.

"I mean, if you really want something and you truly cannot live without it, you have to fight like hell for it."

Suddenly, something clicked in Lucy's mind. The words of both her mother and now Natsu rang through her head like a mantra: _follow your heart and fight like hell for it._ The phrase floated through her head, her mother and Natsu giving her the best advice she had ever received.

There must have been a visible change on Lucy's face because Natsu laid his hand on her shoulder. It took her a moment before she finally realized he had touched her and she slowly turned to him, confusion written all over her face.

"What's the matter?" he asked, concerned. It seemed to Natsu Lucy had abruptly been trapped in her mind for a moment and it worried him. But when he saw the smile break across her face, he relaxed a bit more.

"Nothing," she said, a small glistening appearing in her eyes. _Tears_ , he thought. "It's just, you sounded so much like my m— I mean, someone I knew." Lucy had to noticeably choke back on the word mother before it escaped her lips and she bit the inside of her mouth.

 _No,_ she said to herself. _You will not cry in front of him. Don't bring him into your mess. You'll be gone soon anyways so there's no need for it._

"Someone you knew?" he asked, attempting to pry something more out of her.

"Oh, well, um…"

"Layla!" called Carla. "Are you good to start again?" she asked, waving her over. Lucy let out an audible sigh of relief and hurriedly capped her bottle to get back to her lesson.

"I gotta get back," she said all too cheerily. Before Natsu would say anything more about the topic, Lucy jogged over to Carla and Wendy as fast as possible, hoping he would soon forget her small slip of the tongue.

 _It's not worth it,_ she thought to herself. _You'll be gone in nine days. It's just not worth it._

Despite all she did to try and convince herself she was right, Lucy still felt the aching pain of living such a huge lie. Though she revealed everything to Cana and she could be herself around her, Lucy sometimes forgot it was only Cana who knew who she really was. And keeping such a big secret was turning out to be extremely difficult.

"I hope you got enough rest to clear your mind," Carla said gently. "Let's just try this again like we did earlier. I'm sure you'll get it soon enough. And even if you don't catch on today, there's still plenty of time." Lucy nodded as she got back into place in front of the blue mat that had been recently set down for her.

"Just to prevent any further bruising," Wendy said with a small smile. Lucy groaned as she felt the twinge of pain in her butt but repositioned herself to begin once again.

"Here we go…" she whispered to herself.

Lucy's arm rose in the air completely upright and she started the round-off like she would with a regular handstand. Coming down on the ground, she pressed her left hand to face away from her towards the wall over on her right ride and her right hand faced the direction she had come from. With her legs turning up above her—almost into a handstand—she brought them both together above her and popped her shoulders upward, sending her body backwards onto her feet again. Once her feet touched the ground and her arms came up, she jumped up into the air and landed gracefully, arms over her head. Astonished, Lucy looked up with her mouth rounded in an O and her eyes practically bulging in her head.

"Oh my god," she said, her arms still above her head. When she shifted her eyes to face Wendy and Carla, they seemed just as surprised as her.

"That was…" Carla began, clearly still stunned.

"Layla, that was beautiful!" Wendy exclaimed. Lucy snapped her head to her and smiled like a goof.

"Really?!" she asked excitedly.

"Wendy's right," Carla agreed with a kind smile. "That was absolutely perfect. Your form was excellent with your legs and arms straightened just right. Maybe that break was what you needed." Lucy was still laughing like an idiot and then she turned her head to Natsu who had started clapping.

"Natsu!" she shouted to him. "I did it! I finally did!" Natsu laughed and continued to clap.

"That was awesome, Layla," he replied. "Maybe that's a good way to end the lesson for today, girls?"

"Absolutely," Carla agreed. "It's best to leave a difficult lesson with something great and this was indeed great. Wonderful job today, Layla. Tomorrow we'll work on the side aerial and maybe the basics of the front flip if you'd be up to it."

"Okay," Lucy said, covering her mouth to keep from smiling so widely. But she couldn't help; she had finally done it! It felt incredible.

"I'm gonna go check on Happy to see the progress he made with helping the stage crew fix the floor," Natsu said.

"You're not going to the dining hall for lunch?" Lucy asked, jogging back over to him before he could leave.

"I'll probably catch up later but I wanna see how the stage is coming along," he said. He pushed himself off the top of the fence and stood in front of Lucy, gathering his water bottle and handing her her clothes to change back into. "But you did a fantastic job today," he smiled.

Lucy glanced up at Natsu with disappointment. She had wanted to go to the dining hall victorious with Natsu beside her to retell the gripping story of how she had mastered the round-off, the last move in gymnastics in learning a complete side aerial. But when she looked into Natsu's eyes, she saw the small sparks were beginning to dull in his irises. Glancing over his entire face, she noticed there were the slightest hints of pain in his expression. _Why is he so sad all of a sudden?_ she wondered.

"Enjoy your lunch," he said, grimacing and turning his back to her. Lucy uttered a small sound of protest but Natsu had already jumped over the fence and was hurriedly moving towards the exit. With his back to Lucy, Wendy, and Carla, Natsu allowed the smile to fall from his face.

* * *

 _Why does my chest hurt?_ Natsu asked himself as he began walking back to his tent. Ever since he'd left the Sky Sisters' tent with Layla still inside, he noticed his entire chest area was throbbing with pain. It felt like a sick ache but for some reason, Natsu knew it wasn't because he was catching a virus.

Something was wrong with him. Terribly wrong. He had never felt this before and he didn't know what to do with himself. After having seen Layla's exhilarated expression when she landed the round-off, the pain in his chest started.

 _No,_ he thought. _Don't start this. She'll be leaving soon. Forget about it._

Finally, Natsu arrived back at his tent, clenching his heart with his hand and practically staggering into the tent. Luckily, the stage crew he and Happy had sent for earlier that morning had left and Happy was the only one inside. Upon noticing his friend's arrival, he glanced up from a single player version of go fish and smiled. But when he saw Natsu's pained face, he scrambled off the stage and rushed to his side.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" he asked. Natsu laughed and sat down on the nearest bench, not wanting to walk any further.

"My chest is killing me," he replied.

"Why?" Happy asked, kneeling in front of him.

"I don't know," he continued. "Layla landed her round off and when I looked at her… I don't know, my chest just started hurting really badly." When Natsu lowered his eyes to his friend, he saw Happy's face had turned to one of sympathy.

"What?" Natsu snapped, not liking the look he was receiving.

"You like Layla," he said matter-of-factly.

"What?" Natsu laughed. "No, I don't. That's crazy!" Happy stood up and stared down at him.

"You guys are spending too much time together," he said. "This isn't good, Natsu."

"You don't think I know that!" he answered with a sigh. He buried his face in his hands and shook his head. "I don't want to feel this way but… There's just something about her."

"She's only going to be here for nine more days, Natsu," Happy said, attempting to knock some sense into his friend.

"I realize that, Happy. But I can't just stop _feeling_." Happy sighed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Maybe this whole assistant thing isn't going to work out so well," he suggested. Natsu shook his head immediately.

"No," he replied. "I'm not going to give up just because my chest hurts when I see her. We can be friends. It'll be fine, Happy." It was Happy's turn to shake his head.

"This isn't good for you," he said. "You should just stop it now. Go to the Master, tell him this whole thing isn't working out, and get her sent home. She's been here long enough."

Though Happy's idea had its appeal, Natsu thought back to how cheerful Layla had become since going the circus. When he had first caught her almost a week ago trespassing, she seemed so sad and lonely to him, almost like her negative feelings were emanating from her like a pulse. But now, after having spent so much time with everyone, her mood had improved ten-fold.

He couldn't just send her away because he had the smallest bit of feelings for her. It wasn't fair to Layla; she would be devastated. And she would hate Natsu for it.

"No," he said. "I can't do that. It's selfish. I won't do that to her." Happy sighed and shook his head, staring down at his lovesick friend hopelessly.

"Then you better find a way to stop this," he said. "If she were a permanent member, I'd say go for it. But it's only going to leave you both heartbroken when her time here is up." Natsu nodded in agreement but remained seated on the bench. When Happy became aware he wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon, he walked to the stage again to go lay on the couch and left Natsu to dealing with his emotions.

* * *

"That's incredible!"

"Oh, you must be so proud, Carla!"

"Congratulations, Layla."

The words of praise filled the table after Lucy had retold her story of landing her round off. But even with everyone smiling and congratulating her, she couldn't help but miss Natsu.

"So does this mean you'll definitely be performing with Natsu-san in his shows?" Juvia asked. "Juvia doesn't think he would spend all this time working with you if he didn't want to showcase you."

"I suppose so," she said, plastering a fake reassuring smile on her face.

"That's fantastic," Erza said. "I think you and Natsu will make a great stage couple." Everyone nodded in agreement and Lucy found it difficult to keep her heart from thrumming when Erza mentioned the word _couple_.

"Speaking of which," Gajeel said, "where is Salamander, anyways?"

"Oh, he said he wanted to go check on how the stage repair was going," Lucy said. "He'll probably meet up with us later."

"Forget about that," Cana interrupted, taking a sip from her flask. "Layla, there's something the girls and I wanted to ask you." Instantly, Lucy felt herself blushing, wondering if they were going to bombard her with questions about her and Natsu. _What am I going to tell them?!_

"Usually on the weekends when we travel to different towns, we end the Saturday showings early so we have a longer night to ourselves," Cana explained, relieving Lucy of her tension. "Tomorrow night, the circus will be closing at five instead of ten and Sunday we'll be closed as a day for everyone to rest and have some fun. We were wondering if you'd like to go shopping with us tomorrow night after the Goodnight Ceremony."

"Shopping?" Lucy asked. "For what?"

"We all want to go to the beach on Sunday and we don't have any swimsuits with us," Levy chimed in. "We want to take you swimsuit shopping if you'd like to go."

Lucy stared in awe at the girls, their faces so warm and welcoming. Lucy hadn't ever been shopping with a group of girls and finally being invited to one was sort of thrilling. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes! I'd love to go with you!" she replied. The girls smiled but Lucy immediately frowned. "Except, I don't have any money."

"Don't worry about it," Erza said. "We'll pay for your swimsuit if you choose one you like."

"No, I couldn't ask you to do that for me," Lucy said, shaking her head.

"Oh, c'mon, Layla," Cana said, resting her hand on Lucy's. "It's just a bathing suit. It's not we're buying you a whole wardrobe." Lucy glanced up at all the girls with questioning eyes.

"Are you sure it's okay?" she asked.

"Positive," Erza replied. Lucy sighed but she couldn't help a smile breaking across her face.

"Thank you all so much," she said, her throating constricting with tears. Not since her mother died had Lucy been treated so kindly. And it made the sakura tree blossom even more.

 **A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to leave a review and Chapter 13 will be up next week.


	13. Chapter 13 - Heart Over Matter

**TO MY READERS:** Before you guys start reading this chapter, I just want to let you know how grateful I am to all of you. Just recently I found out my fanfiction has 6,000 views, 50 reviews, and 100 subscribers! I am so thankful to everyone who has been reading this AU and for those who take the time to write to me after every chapter. This has meant so much to me and I'm very excited to say I have many, many more Fairy Tail AUs being created. I hope you all decide to continue reading my content even after this story is finished. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart and I hope you enjoy this week's chapter.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XIII - Heart Over Matter**_

When Lucy woke up on Saturday morning, she couldn't help but feel excited. Though there was still a long day of work ahead of her, going shopping with the girls and spending a day at the beach on Sunday were going to be the highlights of her weekend.

Rising a few moments prior to her alarm buzzing off, Lucy emerged from her bedroom, her natural hair a wicked mess atop her head. She couldn't risk taking off her wig anywhere else except in Cana's trailer and even then she had to make sure all the shades were closed so no one passing by would notice her hair change. As she struggled to keep her identity a secret, the idea of telling the Master and everyone else in the circus about who she really was was becoming more and more appealing.

When she came into the kitchen, she saw Cana was already awake and busy cooking the girls' breakfast of eggs as was becoming to norm for them. Lucy stumbled towards the table and Cana held out a large mug of coffee for her to take to her seat, made specifically with milk.

"Morning," Lucy yawned in reply as she took the drink and slid into the booth.

"I have a question for you," Cana said, shuffling the eggs around in the pan. "What are you planning to do with your hair for tomorrow?" Lucy's grogginess immediately passed to the nerves that gripped her at Cana's question.

Lucy hadn't even thought about what do to with her hair for the beach. She definitely wouldn't be able to swim with it, but what else could she do? Seawater was most certainly going to do damage to her mother's wig and if it came off while she was with everyone at the beach, everything would be ruined.

"I don't know," she finally answered. "I guess I just won't be swimming. I can take a dip up to my waist to cool off but I won't be able to go any further than that."

"What if I told you we could fix your hair problem permanently?" Cana suggested, plating the eggs and pouring herself some coffee. She set down the food and sat in front of Lucy, smiling reassuringly.

"How?"

"There's a salon in town. I saw it when we first came here and I'm thinking we could break off from everyone while they go shopping and get you inside the salon to cut and dye your hair. That way you won't have to wear that uncomfortable wig anymore."

"What?" Lucy blurted out, staring at her in shock. "Cana, I'm not going to cut and dye my hair. I'll eventually have to go back home and the last thing I want is to piss my father off even more by doing something crazy to my hair." Cana shrugged her shoulders.

"It was just a suggestion," she said. "It's not a big deal if you decide not to do it. I just figured it'd be easier to maintain, especially since Natsu wants to incorporate gymnastics into your guys' routine. Wasn't it hard practicing yesterday with Carla and Wendy?"

Lucy thought back to her rehearsal with the two girls and remembered having to straighten her wig every once in a while to prevent it from falling off. The clip that wrapped around the nape of her neck helped a lot, but gravity still had taken its toll while she flipped around the other day. Sometimes, she wished she hadn't even used the wig in the first place. But she knew if she hadn't there was no way she wouldn't have been recognized. It was her only disguise.

"I suppose it was but I don't think doing something that drastic will help," Lucy replied. "I'm still thinking about telling the Master who I really am just to cut the charade."

"That's a start," Cana said. "But after your two weeks are up, what are going to do?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Are you going to stay with the circus or are you going to go through with the marriage to the Duke?" Cana asked.

If Lucy was being perfectly honest, she had forgotten entirely about what would be waiting for her back home beside a very angry father. What _was_ she going to do if she decided to go home? How could she face her father? What would the Duke say once she returned? As her mind raced with different scenarios, Lucy found her stomach churning unfavorably. Being with the circus for almost a week made her forgot the unhappy life she had been living since her mother's death. Everyone was so kind and enjoyable to be around it had all just slipped her mind.

However, now that she was talking to Cana about it all, she couldn't help the tsunami of discomfort and anxiety she felt about going back to the Heartfilia Konzern.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," she admitted.

"Well, what do you think you should do?" Cana asked. Lucy sighed and put her face in her hands, shaking her head.

"I'm not sure," she sighed. With her face buried in her palms, Lucy could hear Cana making her way towards her, gently scooting her to the side as she took a seat next to her.

"Look," she began, "I don't know much about your mother, but from what you've told me, she sounds like she was an incredible woman. If you can't think of something yourself, what do you think she would tell you to do to?"

It was silent for a while as Lucy thought back to the dream she had before the circus arrived in town. Even when she was alive, Layla always told Lucy to listen to her heart. _It knows you the best,_ she would say. _A mind becomes clouded so easily and makes everything seem so much harder than it actually is. When it's confused or feels lost, your heart is as steady as a rock. Though a heart can be broken it never truly changes, only grows. It will tell you what is best when your mind has no ideas._

"She would tell me to follow my heart," Lucy replied, glancing up at Cana. "She always told me the heart knows a person better than even the mind." Cana looked up at nothing and nodded, seeming impressed.

"That's very good advice," she said with a smile. "So take that and apply it to your situation. Listen to what your heart says and act on it. Don't pay attention to your brain. According to your mother, it just screws shit up." Lucy let out a loud laugh and smiled. Cana began to giggle as well and Lucy leaned her head against her shoulder, finding comfort in her friend's embrace.

A sudden knock at the door was what broke the comforting moment.

"Cana? Layla? Are you in there?" Though the shades were drawn and the door closed, Lucy knew right away it was Mirajane at the door.

"Hurry, go get dressed," Cana whispered urgently to Lucy. "Just a minute, Mira!" Lucy scrambled from the booth, rushed into her room to grab her wig and outfit for the day, and raced for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Cana then went to the door of the trailer and invited Mirajane inside.

"Morning," Cana said cheerily, stepping aside to let Mirajane through.

"Good morning, Cana," she replied, walking inside the trailer with a smile. "Where's Layla?"

"Oh, she's still getting ready for the day," Cana said with a laugh. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if Layla was doing anything important today. Elfman needs her assistance with something for our act," Mira explained.

"Do you know what it is?"

"I assume it has something to do with being able to lift four ladies at once," Mira laughed. "He's been wanting to add another girl to our troupe for a while and since we have Layla here for two weeks, he really wanted to try it out. I hope that's okay with you."

"I don't have a problem with where Layla goes. It's Natsu who's technically in charge of her work schedule around here. But I don't think he had anything planned for today."

"Nothing with Carla and Wendy?"

"Oh, well actually, Layla supposed to be at a practice with them both this morning. If she gets her side aerial early, maybe you guys can catch her later today. After lunch?"

"That's perfect! It'll probably be best to do it after lunch anyways."

"Okay. I'll let her know and she'll be at your tent around twelve."

"Thank you, Cana."

"No problem, Mira."

With her ear pressed against the door, Lucy could vaguely hear Cana and Mirajane's receding footsteps as they walked back to and out the door of the trailer . Knowing for sure Mirajane was gone, Lucy emerged from the bathroom still adjusting her wig.

"Sounds like I've got my whole day planned out," she said. Cana turned to her and smiled.

"Yup. After lunch, Elfman, Mira, Lisanna, and Ever need your help with getting Elfman to lift four women."

"Won't that be difficult?" Lucy wondered, slipping all possible stray blonde hair underneath the lining of the wig.

"Not for a man life Elfman," Cana laughed.

About an hour later, Lucy was back at Carla and Wendy's tent to continue her lesson on side aerials. Despite her excitement for everything taking place that day, she couldn't help but feel a shred of disappointment when she saw Natsu wasn't there. For the first five minutes of her stretches and warm-up, she held out the tiniest bit of hope he was just running a little late but as her lesson went on and five minutes turned into half and hour, she realized he just wouldn't be coming. Natsu hadn't showed and Lucy didn't the reason why.

"Do either of you know where Natsu and Happy are?" Lucy asked, her curiosity distracting her. She had been working on doing a one-handed cartwheel in preparation for the actual side aerial and although the lesson had been going well, she couldn't stop thinking about where Natsu could've been. Wouldn't he want to see her progress in the lessons? Wasn't it important to him?

"I'm not sure," Carla admitted. "I assumed he was just late but now I'm guessing he won't be coming at all."

"I heard he wasn't feeling well after his performance last night," Wendy said.

"He's sick?" Lucy asked, worried.

"I'm not sure of the extent of his illness," Wendy explained. "Perhaps it's only a twenty-four-hour bug. He's probably trying to save all his strength for the shows tonight. He'll have all day tomorrow to rest if he really doesn't feel well, too."

Though Wendy seemed sure of Natsu's sudden sickness, Lucy couldn't help feeling it was merely a ruse. He had seemed perfectly fine after her lesson yesterday, albeit his odd behavior upon her landing the round off so well. Was he avoiding her? And if so, why? Had she done something wrong?

Or, the gods forbid, was there some deeper reason as to why he wasn't at her practice? Could he be developing feelings for her? And if so, was staying away from her for a while the only way to keep the feelings at bay?

If that was the case, Lucy would be more than compliant to Natsu keeping his distance. She had enough to think of as it was and she most certainly did not need something like that to get added to the mix.

"Well we're not going to get anywhere with this side aerial worrying about Natsu, are we?" Carla asked, snapping Lucy out of her thoughts. "Let's continue, Layla." Lucy nodded and centered her concentration on the task ahead of her.

For another twenty minutes, Lucy worked solely on the one-handed cartwheel in order to get used to not having any hands on the ground for the side aerial. At Carla's command, once she believed Lucy was ready, she began practicing the final move. The first couple of tries weren't perfect—given Lucy had to use one palm to prevent herself from falling face first on the mat—but after a few more times, Lucy was finally able to keep her arms at her side. When she achieved the perfect side aerial, Wendy and Carla happily applauded.

"I did it!" Lucy exclaimed, hugging Wendy and Carla. "Thank you both so much! I can't believe I actually did it!"

"You're more than welcome, Layla," Carla said with a smile. "You did a fantastic job."

"And the best part is now that you have a side aerial, a front and back flip will be a cinch for you!" Wendy piped in.

"You think so?" Lucy asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Carla said. "You just learned one of the most difficult moves in gymnastics with no experience. A front and back flip won't be a problem at all. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you learned them both in only two days."

"That's fantastic! Then Natsu and I will have plenty of time to finish our routine in time for the second to last show in the circus."

"This is proving to work out very well," Carla said, pleased. "Now, didn't you say you had to go to Elfman's tent?"

"After lunch, yes," Lucy said. "But now I'm thinking of going to see Natsu to tell him the good news."

"That's a great idea," Wendy said. "Maybe it'll help him feel a bit better." Lucy nodded and gathered her clothes, rushing to the backstage to change into her shorts and tank top. Once she was dressed, she grabbed her water bottle and headed out of the tent, making her way towards the trailer park.

Though her mind was telling her to stick with her original plan of staying away from Natsu, Lucy couldn't help but listen to her heart which told her to at least check in on him. If he was really sick, wasn't it a friend's duty to see how he was doing? Plus, after her discussion with Cana that morning, Lucy had decided to pay more attention to her heart than her brain. Maybe being rational wasn't always the answer.

As Lucy neared the trailer park, she caught Happy heading back inside as well and fiddling with his keys. She quickened her pace immediately to caught up with him and called out his name to get his attention.

"Happy!" she said, waving her hand to him. When he looked up, he seemed a bit surprised to see her and stopped to smile. But as Lucy got closer, she could see the smile was a nervous one.

"Layla," he said, "what are you doing here?"

"Well, I heard Natsu wasn't feeling well and since he didn't come to my practice, I wanted to let him know how it went. I thought it would perk him up a little," she said. Though she moved to the gate, Happy stayed put.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Happy said. Lucy looked at him with confusion.

"Why not?"

"Well…uh…oh! It's because he's very contagious. He's been puking all morning and it's a real mess in our trailer. In fact, I was—uh—just about to go start cleaning it up."

"Won't you need my help, then?"

"No!" he shouted, startling Lucy. "I mean…it's just plain nasty in there, Layla. You wouldn't want to see it and Natsu wouldn't want you to see him like that. It's not a pretty sight." Moving quickly away from her, Happy began walking towards the gate.

"Are you sure you don't need me?" Lucy asked, perplexed.

"Absolutely. I wouldn't want to have to clean up two messes if you know what I mean," Happy said, walking through the gate and closing it behind him. "You should just go to lunch. I heard Mirajane asked you for your help today. That's where you're really needed."

Lucy opened her mouth to say more but Happy had already locked the gate and sprinted down towards his and Natsu's trailer.

 _He's not a very convincing liar,_ she thought, turning to head to the dining hall.

Happy returned to the trailer out of breath, leaning up against the door to calm himself down. Layla had seemed so adamant to see Natsu but he knew it would make his friend feel worse. He wasn't really sick, but he couldn't bear to see Layla again after yesterday. And tomorrow would be another problem, seeing as everyone wanted to spend the day at the beach; including Layla.

"Natsu?" Happy called, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter.

"In here," he replied from the bedroom on Happy's left.

Happy pushed himself off the door and headed down the short hallway to open the door to Natsu bedroom. Both of the boys' rooms were just as messy as the rest of the trailer, but when Happy opened the door he saw Natsu's entire room was cleaned.

 _This is worse than I thought,_ Happy sighed to himself.

"You cleaned your room?" he asked Natsu who was laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"I needed to do something to keep my mind off of Layla," he replied, his voice deadpan.

"Speaking of which," Happy said, coming to sit on the little steps set up at the foot of the bed, "Layla wanted to come see how you were doing." Natsu shot up at that.

"She did?" he asked a little too eagerly.

"Yeah. I told her you were too sick for visitors, of course, but she really wanted to see you. To make sure you were okay." Natsu let out a long sigh and flopped back on the bed.,

"Why am I doing this to myself? I know she's leaving in another eight days so why am I becoming so attached to her? I don't get it."

"I don't either, but you can't just lay here until we leave Acalypha. You made a promise to Layla and the rest of the circus that you two would be doing a joint performance. You can't back out of it now, especially since you made a bet with Gray. He'll never let you live that down," Happy pointed out.

"I understand that, Happy, but I just needed a day to get my thoughts squared away. I'll be alright for tomorrow, I promise," he said. Happy sighed but stood up and turned to leave the room.

"Eight more days until everything returns to how it used to be," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Welcome to the home of the Strongest Man!" shouted the tall and muscular Elfman. Lucy laughed along with Mirajane as they entered the green tent displaying the sign _Elfman: The Strongest Man in Fairy Tail_. After she had eaten lunch and caught everyone up the details of her soon-to-be performance with Natsu, Lucy made her way to the other end of the circus with Mirajane to where Elfman's tent was set up. Inside the tent Elfman and two other girls were standing around the center, anticipating the two girls' arrival.

"Oh, Mira-nee, she's just as beautiful as you described her!" Behind Elfman, a young girl with short white hair and blue eyes emerged to stand beside him. Lucy recognized her as one of the participants in the Goodnight Ceremony the first time she saw it, but she didn't know her name.

"So this is the famous Layla we've been hearing about," said another, older appearing woman who came to stand next to the girl. The woman had long, curly brown hair and wore a pair of thin, gray glasses.

"Layla," Mirajane began, "this is my younger sister and brother Lisanna and Elfman and our friend Evergreen," she said, gesturing first to the girl with short, white hair, then to Elfman, and finally to the brunette.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you all," Lucy said with a large smile.

"Likewise," Lisanna replied.

"As you probably already know, Elfman is considered the strongest man in Fairy Tail," Mirajane said. "We've choreographed routines in which he keeps all three of us off the ground, among other tricks. We're not asking you to memorize any choreography since you're already working on a routine with Natsu, but we would like for you to be in our shows specifically for Elfman to lift four of us."

"It'll be quite a feat, but Elfman has proved his strength many times before," Evergreen said, grinning.

"It'll be a great way to end our traveling season as well," Lisanna said, smiling up at Elfman. "Elf-nichan will have accomplished one of his goals and we could all work on the routine over our break."

"Who's all of us?" Lucy asked. There was silence for a while before Lisanna spoke again.

"Well, I thought you were going to become a permanent member of the circus," she said. Lucy stared at the four people standing in front of her. She hoped no one had gotten the wrong idea. She still wasn't entirely sure if she really wanted to join the circus and even if she did, what would become of the shattered remnants of her family?

"Um…I'm actually not sure if I'll be joining the circus," Lucy replied nervously. "This was only supposed to be a two-week sentence for trespassing. Does everyone else think I'm going to be a member?"

"I don't believe so, but don't worry," Mirajane said. "The rumor stops here in this tent." Lucy nodded with relief and Mirajane began explaining Lucy's job. Once everything was explained, Elfman went and grabbed a long wooden bench from the corner of the tent.

Unlike all the other tents Lucy had been in, Elfman's tent didn't have seats. It was a stand-only area and the beginning of the stage wasn't defined at all. But the group backed up a bit more to stand a few feet away from a curtain, sectioning off the backroom.

"Okay, so we're just going to rehearse the beginning of the original routine and then we'll figure out where you'll go, okay?" Mirajane said, hurrying behind the curtain. Lisanna and Evergreen followed her lead and remained in the backroom for a moment, changing into their performing outfits.

A few moments later, the girls emerged fully dressed and ready to start their routine. Mirajane had a black leotard on that zipped up the front to about the middle of her neck as well as tall black tights coming up to nearly the top of her thighs. Lisanna had a pink leotard with white tights, the same length and cut as Mira's, and Evergreen had a deep green leotard with light purple tights. Elfman was the only one who didn't change, wearing a green vest with small gold epaulets on his shoulders and tight black pants.

"Ready?" he asked, situating the bench on the palms of his hands.

"Ready!" the girls replied in unison. Elfman nodded and lifted the bench up above his head, bending slightly at his knees to prepare himself.

Mirajane was the first to go, stepping back a few feet to get a running start. A few inches in front of Elfman, she raised her arms above her head and jumped up in the air, landing on her hands like a handstand and propelling herself into a flip. With her speed backing her up Mira was able to land upright on the bench, spinning on one foot and then doing a front flip before sitting down on the bench. Elfman didn't so much as grunt from his sister's weight.

Next was Lisanna who, like her sister, started off by running. Once she got close enough to her sister and brother, she jumped into the air with all her might to do a front somersault with a half twist onto the bench. To Lucy's surprise, Lisanna was able to land perfectly on her behind, sitting with her leg crossed over the other like a princess.

Evergreen was the last, but most certainly not the least. As her two predecessors had done she began running and as she inched closer, she threw her arms out to the side, leaping into the air to flip around and around until she landed on two feet on the bench. Smiling widely, she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet and sat down on the bench along with the three other girls.

Astounded, Lucy smiled and applauded vigorously.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed. The girls and Elfman sighed, though Lucy could tell Elfman was starting to struggle under the weight of the girls.

"Are there any other tricks Carla and Wendy showed you while you were learning your side aerial?" Mirajane asked.

"Well, I know how to do a good dive cartwheel," Lucy said bashfully.

"That's perfect!" Lisanna called.

"Try doing a dive cartwheel onto the bench!" Mirajane suggested. "Elfman will lower himself down so you can get on. Try and land next to Evergreen. The girl's carefully shuffled themselves down a bit to give Lucy some leeway for her landing.

Feeling the nerves beginning to grip her, Lucy breathed deeply and closed her eyes to get a good idea of how she would do it. Stepping backward a few feet to give herself some room, she waited until Elfman had gotten down a bit to allow for her to get on the piece of wood. Breathing in and out to calm her nerves, Lucy sprinted forward and threw herself into the dive cartwheel. When her palms hit the ground, she bent her elbows as deep as she dared and shot herself backward. Bracing for a hard fall, Lucy closed her eyes and clenched her entire body but kept her arms and legs poised. Fortunately, her backside met the bench and though she almost fell forward, Evergreen was there to pull her upright.

"Hang on, ladies," Elfman smiled, repositioning himself under the bench. With a slight grunt, the bench was lifted up about three inches and came hard on Elfman's hands. He didn't back down, however; instead, he forced himself to lift the bench high above his head, keeping his breathing regulated. About six feet off the ground, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Evergreen struck a pose. Lucy smiled and followed suit, putting on the same disposition she believed a real performer would have.

After a few minutes, Elfman, at last, lowered the bench down and stepped back. The girls hopped off and congratulated Lucy who blushed fiercely at their praise.

"You did a great job, Layla!" Lisanna said.

"Not bad for a newbie," Evergreen smirked, patting Lucy on the shoulder.

"You should be very proud of yourself, Layla," Mirajane said. "Not many people are able to do something like that without having practiced for weeks." Lucy's face continued to redden.

"Thank you," she replied. "Carla and Wendy taught me everything I know." Elfman and the girls laughed at Lucy's awkwardness and she did as well.

Spending so much time with everyone at the circus was amazing. Everyone was so supportive and caring, it made Lucy's heartache. She wished she could gather every single person into her heart to keep them with her forever: their laughter, their kindness, their wisdom. It warmed Lucy's heart but broke it every time she thought of the day she would have to leave.

"Thank you so much for your help today, Layla," Mirajane said. "Hopefully we'll be able to perform that at some point after some practice."

"I would love to," Lucy replied. "Are you girls coming out shopping with us tonight?"

"Of course," Evergreen said. "Will you be joining us?"

"Yes! I'm so excited!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Great!" Lisanna said. "I guess we'll see you later tonight after the Goodnight Ceremony. We're all going to meet at the entrance gate by five thirty. Don't be late."

"I definitely won't be," Lucy assured the girls.

"Well, we have to start getting ready for tonight. We'll see you tonight," Mirajane said, heading backstage.

"See you then," Lucy agreed.

The girls and Elfman went behind the curtain and left Lucy to hurry back to her's and Cana's trailer. She wanted to make sure she was absolutely ready for one of the most exciting nights of her life.

 **A/N:** Don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter and if you liked it! Thank you! :3


	14. Chapter 14 - The Runaway

**TO MY READERS:** I'm back! I know it's been so long since I uploaded a new chapter to this fanfiction, but this is only one of many more chapters I've been working recently. I plan on writing regularly now so I can have a new chapter at the ready every Wednesday-I know, another change in the day-so all I have to do is some last minute editing. I truly apologize for leaving you all hanging for so long but it's been a while since I've actually had the motivation to write lately. So, please enjoy this newest installment and make sure to leave a review! It's always nice to have a little encouragement from my readers. :3 (Also, a big thank you to one of the commenters who cleared up some confusion for me: astrology is the study of the zodiacs and astronomy is the study of the stars. Thank you to the person who made that clarification for me which you will see mentioned in this chapter-you know who you are.)

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 ** _XIV - The Runaway_**

Lucy was already dressed and done up for her night out with the girls even before the Goodnight Ceremony started.

Once she had returned to the trailer from her afternoon with Mirajane and her partners, Lucy had charged right into the bathroom to begin getting ready. She knew there wasn't much she would be able to do with her hair so she decided on simply pulling back some of it in a half ponytail, making sure the up-do didn't show any of the nettings underneath the fake hair. In terms of makeup, Lucy wasn't entirely sure if Cana was okay with her using any of what was in the bathroom. Instead, she scavenged through her large purse and found an old tube of mascara and an eyeliner pencil that was down to almost a stub.

As for her outfit, Lucy had figured it was time to break out one of the nicer dresses Cana had lent her. She had spent a good ten minutes in the guest room with the two options laid out on her bed before she chose the long, beige, spaghetti-strapped one with the lace detailing underneath and exposed midriff. When she put it on, the fabric fell around her body like a waterfall and felt like silk; it was the most comfortable dress she had ever worn in her life.

Dress and ready to head out the door once Cana returned to the trailer, Lucy decided to sit and go over some of her mother's astronomy notes. Her mother had done extensive research on both astrology and astronomy when she was alive, but Lucy was always more interested in the astrology aspect which involved the zodiacs. With the astronomy notes in front of her, she began reading about dark nebulae, something her mother was always so fascinated by. Layla had been captivated by the idea of so many old compounds—mostly remnants of old stars—coming together to form such beautiful masses. Most of Layla's journal detailed how nebulas were created and when you could see them best.

As she read through her mother's detailing, Lucy couldn't help but think nebulas couldn't be seen just in the sky but all around. She imagined people being the stars and no matter how broken life made them, they still managed to find loved ones to be with. Fairy Tail was like that in a way; no matter how different or strange everyone was at the circus, they all somehow gravitated towards one another to create a family. It was a beautiful thing to think about.

A few moments later, Cana arrived back in the trailer still in her gypsy costume. Lucy stood up and twirled around to give her friend a good look at her choice of outfit. Cana threw her keys on the counter and folded her arms over her chest, smiling.

"Someone looks ready for a night out," she said playfully. Lucy stretched out the skirt of the dress and sighed.

"I've never been out on the town with anyone except Ms. Spetto," Lucy explained.

"Ms. Spetto is your family's maid, right?" Cana asked.

"Yes, but after my mother died, she became more than that for me. She's my closest friend on the estate, the only one I can really talk to about my mother." As she started talking about her mother, Lucy felt her mood darken and her smile fade. Cana noticed the immediate change in her friend's disposition and quickly changed the topic.

"Well all the girls from the circus are going to be joining us tonight," she said, coming to stand in front of Lucy. "It's going to be a wonderful night." Lucy looked up into Cana's soft lavender eyes and was suddenly comforted.

 _There's no need for me to feel this way,_ she thought to herself. _I may be returning home soon, but I can't think about it. For now, I can be happy._ Seeing Lucy's mood brightened once again, Cana smiled gently and headed towards her room.

"Alright, well I'll only be a few minutes," she said. "We're going to meet everyone at the gate in twenty minutes so make sure to be a hundred percent ready, okay?" Lucy nodded and sat back down in the booth, closing her mother's notes.

Cana was true to her word for after only four minutes she emerged from her bedroom. Her outfit of the night consisted of a teal strapless bikini-like top revealing her midriff, a pair of tight black pants with a slit at her right knee, a black short-rise leather jacket, a pair of open toe high heel wedge sandals with black straps, and a furry blue shoulder purse. Cana wore nothing else to embellish the outfit but with the open jacket and her revealing top, she bore her black Fairy Tail emblem on the right side of her stomach which was plenty to complete the ensemble. Her long brown hair was allowed lose this time and it fell in curls down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Lucy smiled at her friend who immediately reached for the flask placed against the wall on the kitchen counter. Cana gave it a good shook and quickly moved to pour some more liquor into the silver flask upon hearing only the slightest slosh of the last dredges from her previous drink. Smiling as the alcohol slithered down into the flask, Cana glanced up and saw Lucy watching.

"Wanna try some?" she asked, spinning the bottle slightly to prevent any of the precious liquid from falling to the floor. Lucy snapped out of her gaze and raised her hands up, blushing and shaking her head vehemently.

"Oh, no, thank you, though," she replied.

"What? Never had a drink before?" Cana teased, coming towards Lucy and shimming the bottle. Lucy suddenly thought back to the fancy parties where the only real, strong alcohol was kept out of reach for the men once they retired to a separate area of their host's house to talk about money or business. Champagne was the sole alcohol Lucy ever drank, never anything stronger than that.

"C'mon, Lucy," Cana said tauntingly, standing in front of Lucy with the bottle. "A little sip isn't gonna hurt ya." Lucy's eyes fell on the bottle's label: Premium Rum. Something told her this particular brand of alcohol wasn't going to have the light, sweet tang of champagne. Figuring that the next few days of freedom would be her last chance to decided for herself what she would do, Lucy slowly wrapped her fingers around the bottle's neck and took it from Cana's hand. The brunette smiled mischievously and waited for Lucy to take her first sip of real alcohol.

Lucy brought the glass up to her nose and smelled the pungent beverage, forcing herself not to gag as the fragrance wafted up her nostrils. Glancing up slightly at Cana, Lucy could tell she was enjoying herself as she struggled to even take a sip. Breathing in deeply, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut and took a much larger swig of the rum than she intended. A half of glass worth of alcohol filled her mouth and she had to use all of her willpower not to spit it up. Instead, she clenched her free hand into a tight, painful fist and forced herself to swallow it down. When it finally cleared her tongue and finished assaulting her taste buds, Lucy burst out coughing as the hot liquid burned down her esophagus. Cana began laughing hysterically.

"How was that?" Cana asked, dabbing her eyes with a nearby tissue. She handed one to Lucy who used it to dry up all the tears that had accumulated from her hacking up a lung.

"That was—horrible," she wheezed out, thrusting the bottle back to Cana who graciously took a much larger gulp than Lucy without so much as a wince.

"You get used to the flavor after a while," she said with a wink. Lucy continued to take in ragged breaths of air as Cana screwed the cap of the bottle back on and hid her flask in her furry purse.

"Well," she said with a smile, "now that you've had your first real drink, are you ready for your first girls night out?" Her throat still raw from the coughing and rum, Lucy only nodded and hoped her too-big sip of the alcohol wouldn't ruin her night out in any way. No doubt her stomach would reject the awful substance but she prayed her body could wait long enough to eject it from her bloodstream until they all got back.

"C'mon, then," Cana said, opening the door to the trailer and grabbing the keys. "We don't want to keep the others waiting."

Lucy hurriedly followed Cana outside and practically danced with impatience as Cana locked the door. Ready to head out to the meeting point, Lucy struggled to walk as calmly as Cana was towards the trailer park gate. She smirked as she glanced at Lucy, bobbing up and down with anticipation. She must've never lived a real life in that place, she thought to herself, thinking back to Lucy's bleak description of the Heartfilia Konzern.

After what felt like an eternity to Lucy, she and Cana finally made it to the entrance of the circus. As the two girls came closer to the gate, Lucy could see all the ladies from the circus were already standing there waiting, dressed for a night out. Lucy couldn't help but smile widely as she and Cana came to stand in front of all the girls, beaming with excitement. And all the girls were dressed to perfection.

The first girl Lucy noticed was Erza. Most of the girls wore dresses or very revealing shirts and shorts but what Erza donned that night was simple yet striking. She wore a tight leather jacket—quite similar to Cana's—but had a light gray shirt underneath it with a V-shaped neckline that came down just above her chest. The jacket came up to just below Erza's ribcage and the shirt danced right above the waistband of her black jeans which slid perfectly into her short-ankle black heeled boots, decorated with laces in front and buckles around the top. And, to top off the whole thing, Erza had pulled her long, red hair into a high ponytail that fanned out from behind her head and left her bangs and two long tendrils of hair to fall down the sides of her face.

Standing next to Erza was Juvia who wore a silk purple pinup halter top with a middle that fell all the way down to the tight waistline wrapping around her ribs. The shirt also revealed her stomach and she wore a pair of shorts that came to the middle of her thighs with the pair of black stilettos she wore on her feet, buckled with a thin strap around the ankles. Lucy couldn't image the shoes not being painful, especially after all the walking the group would be doing, but was astonished Juvia had even thought to wear such a shoe. Looking up at Juvia's face, Lucy saw instead of wearing her hat, Juvia had her hair teased in a high, half ponytail that came down in a braid; the rest of her hair fell in waves down her shoulders and back.

The next six girls were Mirajane, Lisanna, Levy, Wendy, Carla, and Evergreen. Lucy's eyes were drawn right to Mirajane first who wore a bright pink dress with a V-neck coming down to the middle of her sternum to show off her cleavage. The neck and bottom of the dress—which came down to the middle of her thighs—were adorned with lace designing and flare sleeves lengthened against her forearm. On her feet she wore a pair of pink kitten heels with pointed toes and the only piece of jewelry she wore with the outfits was a small blue stone hanging around her neck on a black silk cord. Her sister, Lisanna, wore a much more modest dress; a sleeveless, peter pan-collared vintage dress with ruffles and gold-colored buttons down the middle and lace over the purple sheer top. The skirt was made out of purple polyester that hovered a few inches above Lisanna's knees and layered so the edges of the skirt were slightly ruffled.

Levy's bright yellow dress drew Lucy's eyes next. The dress was a strapless number with a ruffled neck that fell around her shoulders. The skirt reached to about the middle of her thighs and she wore a pair of silver sandal heels, her right ankle bedazzled with a blue-stoned anklet. Her light blue hair was also kept back—save for two long tendrils falling to her shoulders—with a light yellow headband decorated with two pink flowers on the right side of her head. The girl who stood next to her was Wendy who wore a cute halter neckline dress colored in a powdery pink, ivory, and dark green. The skirt of the dress was very modest for Wendy's height and the back was slightly longer than the front, creating almost a high-low design. Her long, dark blue hair was done up in a similar style to Lucy and Juvia; a half ponytail clipped back with a white bow outlined with silver stones. And her companion, Wendy, wore a simple strapless pink dress with a white waistline and her hair was allowed to flow down past her shoulders with the small black kitten clip to keep it slightly back.

And last, but most certainly not least, was Evergreen. The neckline of her dress was a similar cut to Mirajane's in that it scooped down to the middle of her sternum. But that's where the similarities ended: Ever's dress was a deep green color covered in sequins that sparkled in any light, including under the moon. A thin belt the same color at the dress accentuated Ever's waistline and the skirt fell to her knees, leading down to the pair of beige metallic high heel sandals.

All the girls looked incredibly stunning and Lucy was glad she decided to wear such a nice dress since it seemed to be the popular theme amongst the group.

"Layla," Erza said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You look lovely." Lucy blushed and ran her palms over her own dress.

"Thank you," she replied. "You all look amazing also."

"Well then, let's not waste our good clothes just standing around," Cana said, already taking a swig of her flask. "I'll get the Master to open the gates." Screwing the top of the container back on, she turned on her heel and headed to the office where Lucy had been given her punishment when she first arrived at the circus.

Only a moment later the huge gates swung outward back on tot he beach. Though Lucy had once been filled with excitement about the evening, she suddenly felt nerves grip her stomach. The last time she had been outside the gates was when she just planned on visiting the circus for a few hours. All that raced her mind once those gates opened was the idea of running into the Duke as he searched for her through the town; or worse, her father. As the girls began to walk through the gate, Lucy found her feet wouldn't move despite a voice in the back of her head saying she was still safe, even outside the circus' gate.

"Lucy." The sound of her real name startled her out of her thoughts and she looked to her right to see Cana was standing next to her with a look of concern. "Are you okay?"

Swallowing hard, Lucy forced herself to nod and smile. At the sound of Cana's reassuring voice, the idea of her father and the Duke searching for her through the city faded. There was no way her father would personally go into town to find her. Her mind was beginning to mess with her and she didn't like it. She wouldn't let even the thought of her father ruin this night.

"I'm fine," she replied. "Let's go!"

Cana nodded with a small smile and guided Lucy by her elbow to the open gate. As they caught up with the rest of the girls who were waiting a small distance away from the circus' camp.

 _Don't let it in,_ Lucy thought to herself. _Tonight is for you only. Don't let him in your head._

Shoving away all thoughts of her father, the Duke, and her inevitable return to the Heartfilia Konzern, Lucy plastered her award-winning fake smile and stood next to all the girls she was beginning to grow so fond of. Though the sinking feeling seemed perpetual, Lucy knew it would fade.

It was only a matter of clearing her mind of the desolation.

It appeared to have been a consensus amongst the girls that they would be eating dinner before going shopping, a small detail Lucy hadn't been aware of. Nonetheless, she was thrilled when the group led her to a small restaurant in Acalypha she herself hadn't even been a customer to despite living in the town her whole life. It was quaint and had a long menu of delicious food options, none of which Lucy had the spare money for. Fortunately, the girls happily decided to split the bill just among those who had an actual paying job at the circus and Lucy was far from hungry.

After the delicious dinner, the group headed down the street which was bathed in the orange and purple lighting from the fading sun. Lucy couldn't help but get lost as she gazed at the sunset she caught glimpses between buildings she and her friends passed. She smiled as she remembered a time when her mother used to insist on planting some of her flowers as the sun set on the day. A younger Lucy believed her mother had some kind of special meaning to setting the plants in the ground while the sun descended but, as she thought back to the memory, she realized they did it mostly during Layla's treatment.

Her mother probably wanted to see as many sunsets with her daughter as possible.

"Layla." Erza's smooth but stern voice shook Lucy out of the depths of her mind and she snapped back to the girls who were all looking at her with curiosity.

"I'm sorry," she replied, blushing at her daydreaming. "What were you saying?"

"We were just about to go inside this shop to start looking for swimwear," Carla said gently, also sensing Lucy's mental absence.

"Oh, right! I'm sorry, I just got distracted by this beautiful sunset," she explained. The girls took a quick glance to their rights and smiled at the beautiful colors. They obviously hadn't noticed how gorgeous the fading sun was until Lucy pointed it out and she felt slightly less awkward when their faces lit up.

"It is quite astounding," Erza mused, tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear.

"The colors are incredible," Wendy gushed, clutching her hands to her chest.

"It's a good thing you said something, Layla," Lisanna piped up. "We would've missed it." Luckily, the shop the group stopped in front gave a clear, open view of the beach where the sun was beginning to fall, casting even more brilliant colors over the girls. Getting the girls to observe something that meant so much to Lucy gave her a rush of joy.

 _Perhaps I can watch a few more sunsets with them before I go,_ she wondered.

"Well, let's not waste the rest of a perfect night," Cana interrupted, guiding Lucy and the girls into the shop. "We have some shopping to do!"

Inside, the shop was small but abundantly full of all sorts of summer clothing from dresses to swimwear to shorts and tank tops. The group of girls immediately made a bee-line for the bathing suits hanging from a number of racks. As everyone fussed over which color, which style, and whether a bikini or one-piece would be better, Lucy trailed over to a rack of bikinis. Flipping through the different kinds, her hand stopped when she came across a pink one outlined in lace. She quickly removed it from the rack and searched around the store for an employee to direct her to a changing room.

"Cana!" she called over the chirping voices of the excited girls. Cana's brunette head popped up from the many racks and made her way towards Lucy who now stood with a nice young woman bearing a key to open a changing room.

"Find something?" Cana asked once she was close enough. Lucy nodded, the enthusiasm returning again. She flaunted the bikini she had chosen and Cana rose an eyebrow, a smirk pulling up a side of her mouth.

"Looks very sexy," she noted. Lucy blushed but hurried to follow the woman who led her to the row of changing rooms. She scurried into the third one on the right and began to undress herself to try on the bikini.

Once she had managed to tie the string around her neck, Lucy turned around towards the full-length mirror in front of her. Her eyes widened, remembering Cana's comment; it was incredibly sexy. The lace wrapped around the chest area accentuated Lucy's cleavage and only a bit of pink peaked out in the middle of each cup and the lace on the bottoms of the swimsuit hugged Lucy's hips perfectly. She felt extremely beautiful and sexy as she struck a few poses in the dressing room. A knock on the door startled her when she remembered Cana was still standing outside.

"You ready?" she called from behind the door.

"Yup," Lucy said with a large smile. She swung the door open and stood in the entryway, hands on her hips, and giving her must seductive look. Though she wasn't wearing a lot, Lucy felt oddly confident in the bikini and she wanted to show it off to all her girlfriends.

"Wham!" Cana exclaimed, eyeing Lucy up and down. "I think we found a winner. Girls! Come check out Sexy Layla!"

The herd of girls hurried over to the dressing room where Lucy stepped out from to showcase her choice of swimwear. Her friends gasped as they took her in and Lucy laughed, blushing a little as they fussed over how great she looked.

"Isn't it a little indecent?" Carla asked.

"It is a bathing suit," Erza said, coming to Lucy's defense. "Bikini's like that were made for the beach."

"And for luring in men," Ever smirked, throwing her choice of swimsuit over her shoulder. "You're sure to be a knockout, Layla."

"So that's what men look for women to wear," Juvia murmured to herself, blushing fiercely. "Gray-sama, is that what you'd prefer Juvia to don?"

"I hope you're planning on buying it, Layla," Mirajane said excitedly. "It looks so good on you!"

"I think this is it," Lucy replied. The girls all gave their support on Lucy's purchase and she headed back into the changing room to get dressed.

The rest of the girls took about another hour before they all decided on their own swimsuits. And, of course, everyone else had to approve of the choice as well which made things go a little slower; but Lucy didn't want the night to end. Thankfully, her friends also wanted to choose a coverup to go with their bikinis or one-pieces. Cana helped Lucy pick out a white and pink tunic with peacock designs on the sleeves and front and a low-drop V-neck, complete with a drawstring that would slip underneath the bust.

After another whole hour passed, everyone was ready to head on out. Cana had graciously paid for Lucy's bikini and coverup as well as her own and Lucy promised she would repay her somehow. "Promise me you'll think about staying with us is all I ask," she had said. Despite the obvious jest behind it, Lucy couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. She really wouldn't be around much longer and yet, she had many so many amazing friends. Friends who encouraged her to be herself and enjoyed being around her in spite of her constant mood swings. It was so comforting to know she was slowly being accepted into this tightly knit group of people. But she knew it wasn't going to last much longer.

 _Unless you really do decide to stay._ The small voice came out of nowhere and caught Lucy completely off guard. _Would it really be so bad if you became a permanent member? Your mother would want you to be happy, though to appears your father could care less. At least you would be surrounded by people you love and who love you._

The voice began to grow louder in Lucy's head and she started smiling at the idea of leaving her sad, miserable life behind her in exchange for a life of endless adventures with the people of Fairy Tail. Walking with the girls down the street and back towards the circus' camp, Lucy became to perk up at her new thoughts. She had always thought her only option was to leave after her two-week sentence was up. But now, she thought that maybe—just maybe—she would live a whole new life with Fairy Tail. She could leave her tragically sad and depressing self with her family and travel to exciting places with the circus. She could live her life doing something she thoroughly enjoyed instead of being forced into a loveless marriage with an ugly pig of a man and visiting her unloving father who clearly only cared money and the future of the Heartfilia fortune rather than his own flesh and blood.

With these new views flooded through her mind, Lucy's eyes began to wander around the town of Acalypha as if it were the last time she would see it.

But then, she saw something that clenched her stomach and made her feel nauseous.

The bulletin board that once brandished Fairy Tail's poster announcing their arrival into town held another poster. One with Lucy's face plastered across the front and a grim statement that shattered all possibility of a new future for her:

 _MISSING:_

 _Lucy Heartfilia of the Heartfilia Family was last seen on her estate this past Monday. She is a seventeen-year-old girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. If anyone has seen or has any information on her whereabouts, please contact Acalypha police immediately._

 _A REWARD OF 10,000,000 JEWELS WITH BE PRESENTED TO THE INDIVIDUAL(S) WHO IS ABLE TO LOCATE THIS GIRL._

Lucy's feet stopped moving, rooted in front of the poster hanging on the board with a blown-up photo of her face slapped across the front. Cana instantly became aware of Lucy's sudden absence from the group and turned to see her friend staring at a poster on the town's bulletin board.

"Layla?" she asked, smiling as she approached Lucy. "Whatcha staring at?" When she, at last, came to stand beside Lucy, Cana's eyes shifted to where Lucy's were plastered and read the poster.

"Lucy…" she whispered to her. "Is this your father's doing?" Lucy could only nod as she felt her body beginning to shake in fear. He really was scouring the town for her.

Cana read the poster over again and glanced at her friend whose face held the look of absolute fear on her face. Frustrated and angry that Lucy's negligent father only cared about her friend's disappearance because he wanted to marry her off, Cana ripped the poster off the bulletin and tore it up, discarding the pieces into the nearest garbage can. Lucy's wet, terrified eyes met Cana's, confused.

"C'mon," was her simple reply, grabbing Lucy's arm and pulling her close. "I won't let them find you," she whispered. "I promise, I'll keep you safe with us. I swear it on my life."

Held tightly under Cana's arm and with her hands clasped around her waist, Lucy strangely believed Cana could protect her from her father. Though he did have money and power, perhaps Fairy Tail would be enough to keep her from returning to the dark, wretched place she once called home.

 **A/N:** I hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter and please don't forget to leave a review! Thank you all so much for sticking around. 3


	15. Chapter 15 - A Day at the Beach

**TO MY READERS:** I am so sorry for not having updated this story in so long! I feeling really, really bad but a lot happened over the summer & I just started back up with school so it's been pretty stressful lately. I am going to try so hard to have chapters up maybe not every week but as often as I am able. So, here is Chapter 15 & I hope you all enjoy it! And please don't forget to leave a review. It always means a lot to hear from you guys & I love getting feedback on my chapters.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters of places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 ** _XV - A Day at the Beach_**

Happy was awoken to the sound of someone shuffling around in the kitchen inside his and Natsu's trailer. Half asleep, he clumsily got out of bed and opened the door to see Natsu burning something on the stove. Rubbing his eyes, Happy had to wave his hand in front of his face to clear the thick fog of smoke which had made its way around the small trailer.

"Natsu…" he groaned. "What are you doing? Cooking or burning?"

"Shut it, Happy," Natsu snapped, throwing the pan in defeat into the sink where he released the faucet's rage on the burning breakfast he had been cooking for the two of them.

"What was that?" Happy asked, walking towards the kitchen counter where he saw the coffee pot was ready to dispense the caffeinated beverage. He opened the cabinet of mugs and poured two, one for himself and one for a very upset Natsu. Glancing down at his tired friend, Natsu smiled as Happy guided him to the booth with both mugs in hand.

"Thanks, Happy," he said, taking a seat in the booth. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I was just trying to make a nice breakfast."

"That's why we agreed I'm the one who does the cooking on our days off," Happy said with a smirk, sliding Natsu's mug across the table. He gratefully took the beverage and sipped it slowly, allowing the hot liquid to detox his body of the angry which had gripped him just a moment ago.

"So, how are you feeling today?" Happy asked, hoping he wasn't about to incur Natsu's wrath again.

"I'd be lying if I sad I was feeling better," Natsu admitted.

"You still stuck on your feelings for Layla?" Happy asked gently, wanting nothing more than to get his friend past this rough patch.

"Yeah… I thought I would be over it by now considering I haven't seen her in a while, but whenever my mind is empty I find myself thinking about her. It's like I can't get her out of my head, no matter what I do. It's almost a sickness."

"Gods, I hope I don't catch the Layla." Natsu's eyes flicked up to Happy with a questioning look. Happy stopped laughing and shook his head: his attempt at a joke didn't seem to go over very well.

"Anyways, I have no idea what I'm gonna do since we still have to work together on that routine and she'll be here for another few days," Natsu continued.

"I'm sorry, Natsu, but I just don't know what else to tell you," Happy said, throwing his hands up. "She obviously has another life. The Master made her stay to serve out a punishment for trespassing and once that sentence is up, she'll be gone. She'll go living on her life as normal like nothing ever happened. She'll probably even meet another guy and forget all about…"

"Happy." Natsu hadn't raised his voice but the manor in which he said it was enough to stop Happy mid-sentence. He truly didn't know how to help his friends any more than to hit him with the cold hard truth.

It wouldn't be easy watching Layla go. Everyone at the circus had grown to like her, though she had been there for a week. She was kind, smart, and funny and she had become a friend to both himself and Natsu. Unfortunately, Natsu was the one who was taking his feelings to another level. Happy had tried to warn his friend about what would happen if Natsu got too comfortable around Layla. Anyone could see she was enchanting, what with her beauty and the mystique she surrounded herself with. No one knew much about her or where she came from, but it was a question everyone had started asking from the moment she arrived at the circus. But she had remained quiet about who she was and it was one of the things Happy figured Natsu found so fascinating about her.

And he was right. Natsu wanted to uncover everything about Layla, to bring her secrets to light and figure out who she really was. To understand her and to grow to love her for who she was. He knew everything about everyone at the circus: from people who had been there from the beginning like Erza to newcomers like Juvia and Gajeel. Layla was the only one who was still a total mystery to him and it bothered him not to know anything about the girl he obviously was beginning to care so much about.

"Don't worry," Natsu said. While lost in his thoughts, Happy hadn't even noticed Natsu had stood up from his seat to place a reassuring hand on his head. He glanced up at his friend and saw his famous smirk brightening his face.

"Everything'll be fine. I'll get over this. It's like I said before; it's just a sickness. Sooner or later I'll get better and it'll be like it never happened."

"What about later today? Everyone is going to the beach and I know Layla will be there. She went out last night with all the girls to get a bathing suit. Are you going to be okay seeing her?"

"Of course I will. I'm Fairy Tail's Salamander," Natsu replied, smiling widely at Happy.

"Even when she's in a bathing suit?" Happy asked jokingly.

"I've seen Erza and Cana in swimsuits before," Natsu replied nonchalantly. "It shouldn't be any different." Happy shook his head but smiled.

"I'm gonna go to the tent. I'll be back in time for the beach party, okay?" Natsu said, grabbing his keys, shoving them in his pocket, and quickly throwing up his hair in a messy ponytail.

"Yeah," Happy said, waving Natsu out the door. "See you this afternoon."

"Later."

Happy watched as Natsu closed the door behind him and let his smile fall. He knew Natsu was only putting up a front now so as not to worry him. But he knew Natsu was still really torn. In a week, his best friend had someone fallen for a girl he knew nothing about and who would be gone in seven days.

 _What a mess that would leave him._

Lucy didn't rise from the guest bed until nine-thirty the next day. The night before had been a late one and even though she wanted to get up early to get ready for her day at the beach, her mind and body just needed a good night's sleep. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one who decided to stay in bed for a few extra hours because when she finally emerged from the room, she found Cana was just beginning her morning as well with a cup of coffee.

"Morning," she smiled as Lucy sleepily headed towards the coffee pot on the counter to retrieve some caffeine. She grunted in reply, poured the hot beverage into a mug, and sat down across from Cana.

"Well rested?" Cana teased, poking Lucy's leg with her toes.

"Mhm," Lucy replied, taking a sip from her mug.

"We're all gonna be going to the beach for twelve so we still have a while before then," Cana said. Lucy was barely paying attention to her friend until Cana stood up from the booth and moved to the pile of shopping bags the girls had left behind the door last night when they returned home.

"I'm not expecting you to change your mind but while you and the other girls went to that makeup store, I snuck out to buy this." Lucy shifted herself to look at Cana who shuffled through a small plastic bag to reveal a box. She walked back over to Lucy, placed it on the table, and waited for Lucy to read the package. Hair dye: Black.

Lucy's eyes widened and she stared at Cana, shocked.

"Cana, I told you I'm not going to dye my hair!" Lucy protested, sliding the box across to her.

"You obviously didn't read the fine print," Cana explained, picking up the box and underlining a sentence with her forefinger. "For temporary use only. It's not permanent. It'll fade eventually."

"Cana, I have blonde hair. Do you know how hard it would be to even color my hair temporarily with this stuff? Plus, I still wouldn't be able to go swimming with it because it'll wash out what with being so fresh," Lucy argued. "There's no way I'm doing this. And I'd still have to get my hair cut to match my wig."

"I'm not saying you have to use it today," Cana said, putting the box in the middle of the table. "It's just a backup plan. Cutting your hair wouldn't be a problem but if we invest a good amount of time into dying your hair it would be less of a pain compared to wearing a wig that could fall off at any moment, right?"

Though she was still completely opposed to dying, Lucy had to admit Cana was right. She was always afraid her wig would fall off, especially when she was learning how to do a side aerial. But she really didn't want to even temporarily dye her hair. It was too drastic of a change. Only if she felt it absolutely necessary would she even begin to think about dying her hair black.

"Anyways," Cana said, reigning the conversation away from the hair dye. "I haven't gotten a chance to ask you yet, but how's your routine going with Natsu? You haven't worked with him in a while."

"I know," Lucy agreed, grateful for the shift in conversation. "I think he's avoiding me." Cana looked confused for a moment but then her eyebrows turned up mischievously.

"Oh really? Avoiding you how?" she inquired, placing her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her folded hands.

"Well, the other day Happy was acting strange when I asked to see Natsu after my lesson with Wendy and Carla. He told me Natsu was sick and he had vomited all inside their trailer but I didn't believe him. I'm pretty sure he was lying," she explained.

"Why would he lie?"

"To keep my away from Natsu, I suppose. Although I'm not sure why. If he wants to win that stupid bet he made with Gray we have to keep working on our routine. We're far from done and we only have until Friday to get it done. Otherwise, Natsu will have to wear a dress and be Gray's assistant next summer." Cana burst out laughing at the bet and Lucy couldn't help but smile at the idea of either Gray or Natsu dressing up like a woman for a whole summer and dancing around on stage.

"You want to know what I think?" Cana asked. Lucy nodded as she took another sip of her coffee.

"I think Natsu's lovesick." Eyes wide, Lucy felt herself swallow her drink the wrong way and she quickly ran to the sink, coughing up her beverage.

"Oh, relax, Lucy," Cana said, coming up behind her and patting her back as Lucy tried to breathe again.

"You really think…Natsu _loves_ me?" she spat out, wiping her face with a nearby piece of paper towel.

"Well, maybe 'love' is too strong a word," Cana admitted. "I think he likes you and he's been avoiding you because he's afraid of his feelings. I don't think Natsu's ever liked a girl seriously before."

"But why _me_? He knows I'm leaving soon and I'll probably never see any of you guys again."

"Maybe that's the reason he finds you so appealing. He knows hardly anything about you so he feels drawn to you in a way he hasn't been to drawn to anyone else. He's intrigued and your obvious beauty doesn't hurt, either." Lucy blushed at how Natsu must see her.

"But… I'm gonna have to go home…"

"Are you even sure you're going home?"

The question hung in the air, unanswered and it made Lucy recall everything she had thought of last night before she saw that Wanted poster of herself. She could have a life with the circus. As cliche as it sounded, she had found friends and a family amongst the performers. But what she would leave behind was an angry father hell-bent on finding her at all costs. If he was willing to openly admit to the town of Acalypha his daughter—heiress to the Heartfilia—was missing, then he was most definitely ready to find her no matter what it took.

Her father was scary when he was serious about something as dire as a lost daughter, though it wasn't like him to make the Heartfilia private life public.

"I mean… I have to. I don't really have a choice. If I don't, who knows what lengths my father will go to to find me," Lucy said, mostly to herself than to Cana.

"But what about your future and your happiness. If you go through with that marriage, you'll become just as hateful and cruel as your father," Cana said gently to play devil's advocate.

"I know, but I couldn't put Fairy Tail through that kind of pain. It would be selfish."

"Maybe it's time you do something selfish."

For a while, Lucy and Cana sat in silence as Lucy thought of what she would do once her sentence was over. Finally, Cana gently laid her hand on Lucy's which brought Lucy's brown eyes up to Cana's purple ones.

"How about we head to the beach now. Just the two of us. It could get your mind off of things for a while." Lucy smiled and nodded. Cana grinned and stood up, grabbing one of the shopping bags and handing it to Lucy.

"Go get changed," she said, handing the bag to Lucy. She stood as well and took the handles from Cana, heading towards the guest room with a half-hearted smile.

Cana sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She, more than anyone didn't want to see Lucy go. She had grown so close to this girl and learned so much about her, things she was scared to even admit to the Master. Sure she had friends like Erza, Juvia, Mirajane, and the rest of them but Lucy was so different. And Cana liked different. She would be heartbroken is Lucy really left and never came back.

Shaking her head of the sad thoughts, Cana snatched up her own shopping bag and headed towards her room. She wanted to have fun with Lucy and the rest of the gang today. She wasn't going to let the future bring her down; she had to live in the moment. She smiled as she closed the door to her room and began changing into her bikini.

 _I will make Lucy want to stay with us. I won't let her poor excuse of a father ruin the one good thing in her life._ Cana clenched her fists in determination. _Lucy deserves nothing but happiness._

"Isn't this nice?" Cana mused as she basked in the glow of the afternoon sun.

"Mhm," Lucy replied, her eyes closed and her mind adrift. She and Cana had arrived at the beach about ten minutes ago—still a half hour before everyone else was planning to arrive—and they were enjoying their moments in the sun; literally.

Cana was insistent on helping Lucy get a tan, arguing her pale complexion made her look half-dead. Lucy had laughed but agreed to let Cana rub some tanning lotion on her and laying on their towels underneath the hot summer sun. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore and the seagulls flying around them was so calming Lucy had to fight the urge to fall back asleep.

"Feeling better?" Cana asked, hoping Lucy had gotten over her worriment of Natsu's feelings for her. She tilted her head towards her and saw Lucy nod in reply. She was peaceful and happy, and Cana wanted nothing more for her friend.

"Cana-san! Layla!" The two girls lifted themselves off their towels by their elbows and saw the rest of their group rushing towards them. It was Juvia who had called out to them, wearing her new blue jumper from the boutique with its halter-top tie around the neck and white flower decorum. Following close behind her was Wendy, Carla, Erza, Mirajane, Lisanna, Evergreen, and Levy who were all wearing their outfits they had picked out last night.

Walking together as a separate group from the girls were the guys of the circus: Gray, Gajeel, Elfman, the Master, Happy, Natsu, and a few other men Lucy didn't recognize. Despite the large group, Lucy's eyes fell and stayed on Natsu who was wearing a pair of orange swim trunks with a black and red outline of fire on either side of the short legs. Lucy felt oddly exposed in her bikini and quickly moved to put her cover up back on. Cana raised her eyebrows in curiosity as Lucy struggled to get her arms through the sleeves but didn't say anything once she noticed Natsu was amongst the group.

"I see you girls already got started on your tans," Erza smiled as she stood over Lucy and Cana.

"We wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet before you all came," Cana teased, unscrewing the lid to her flask and taking a sip.

"Juvia would much prefer sunbathing," Juvia said, placing her towel next to Lucy. "Swimming is quite boring for Juvia."

"Well, Layla and I are pretty hot so maybe a quick dip in the water would be refreshing," Cana said, standing up and stretching her arms over her head. "C'mon, Layla. Let's go."

"Um…what about…" Lucy muttered to Cana. Unfortunately, Cana wasn't the only one who heard Lucy's protests and it sparked an unwanted conversation.

"What's the matter, Layla?" Erza asked, genuinely concerned.

"You were so confident in that bikini last night but now you're scared to show it off in front of the guys?" Ever teased. "You should never be afraid to show yourself off!"

"I told you such a revealing swimsuit was indecent," Carla said, shaking her head.

"What if my Gray-sama sees Layla in her bikini and falls for her?" Juvia worried. "Love rival…"

"N—no, I'm not afraid," Lucy insisted.

"Are you afraid to attract all the men to you, Layla?" Levy giggled, rubbing up close to Lucy.

"No!" Lucy shouted. Frustrated, she ripped the coverup off over her head and threw it to the ground, hands on her hips as she stared at the other girls. "Let's go, ladies!"

Without looking where she was going, Lucy spun on her heels and ran for the water, falling right into Natsu's chest who was being followed by the rest of the guys. Taken aback, he fell backward with Lucy on top and they went crashing into the sand, her face already turning beet red when she recognized the long pink hair of the guy she just slammed into.

"Ow!" Natsu groaned, rubbing the back of his head. When he opened his eyes again and saw Lucy on top of him, his cheeks turned just as red as hers. Despite his embarrassment, he couldn't bring himself to release the grip he had around Layla's waist when they had fallen.

"N—Natsu…" she mumbled, staring into his black eyes with mortification. For a moment, they both just stared at each other and Lucy relished the feel of Natsu's strong, warm arms around her waist. But then his eyes fell to her chest and he saw what a revealing bikini she had on; he suddenly scrambled to get out from underneath her and stand back up.

"You okay, Natsu?" Gray asked, smirking.

"Yeah, I'm good," Natsu replied, dusting himself off and drifting off, away from Lucy. She continued to blush at the looks the other guys were giving both her and Natsu and she turned around to face the girls who were all giggling amongst themselves.

"Good thing Natsu was there to break your fall, huh, Layla?" Levy smirked. Lucy blushed even more and adjusting her bikini top and bottom which had gotten some sand in them.

"Look, she's still blushing!" Ever teased. Lucy's face grew redder but she only smiled and played it off.

"What are we all standing around here for?" she asked. "Let's get to the water!"

Attempting to cause a shift in the topic, Lucy whipped around back towards the water and made a mad dash for it, checking before she did so in case she ran into anyone else. As Lucy splashed her way into the sea, the other girls shrugged their shoulders and followed suit, jumping in after Lucy and squealing as they splashed each other with the cool water. Lucy decided to stay in a fairly shallow area of water where, even if she fell, her wig would be safe from the damage of the seawater. Some of the girls went deeper, but Cana and Wendy stayed behind with Lucy which helped her feel less excluded.

"Oh, ladies! Don't forget the toys!" Ever laughed, throwing in the floats the girls had brought with them. The floats with their different colors and shapes were sent adrift in the waves and Lucy quickly latched on to a large lime green circular floaty. She threw herself onto the float and gently paddled her way towards the rest of the girls who grabbed a hold of a fairly large beach ball and were bouncing it back and forth to one another like a volleyball.

"Layla, catch!" Levy shouted, smacking the ball to her as she floated on by. Lucy struggled to straighten up but was able to knock the ball towards Juvia who hit it to Erza on her yellow banana float.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Cana asked as she glided towards Lucy on a blue canvas float. Lucy nodded but felt herself blush at the memory of falling on Natsu.

"Don't worry about that," Cana reassured her, reading Lucy's mind. "Everyone will forget about it eventually." Lucy sighed but rested against the plastic circle she had claimed. The sun still beat down on her but with a nice layer of water on her hot skin, she was beginning to cool down a bit more. With the water gently pulling her deeper towards the ocean, she felt herself falling asleep again.

After having exercised their interest in the water, the girls began to head back to shore, Erza pining for a good game of volleyball. Lucy paddled her way towards the shore and jumped off the float on shaky feet. Having been on a swaying float and then changing to solid ground so quickly made her slightly dizzy. Cana grabbed her elbow and guided her back to the towels where Erza and the rest of the girls were stretching for the match.

"Natsu! Gray!" she shouted as she pulled her arms across her chest. "Want to play volleyball?" Natsu and the rest of the guys made their way towards the group, some with beers in hand, and winced at Erza's gesture.

"I don't know…" Gray sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Last time got pretty out of hand."

"You guys play volleyball a lot?" Lucy asked. Erza nodded with an evil spark in her eye.

"We mostly do it during the summer, especially when we travel to towns with beaches are large areas of land. My team has the lead," she replied.

"Only because you never know how to hold back," Gray snapped. "I can still feel where the ball hit me," he groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"It's only fitting for a Man," Elfman chimed in from behind Natsu and Gray.

"Aw, c'mon, guys!" Natsu shouted. "We can take 'em down for sure this time!"

"And what makes you say that?" Erza chuckled. Natsu swung his pointer finger at Lucy who looked startled to have all the attention drawn to her.

"Because your team has the new girl. There's no way she'll be able to catch on to your strategy," he laughed. Lucy smirked as Natsu laughed and she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, really?" she replied. "You don't think I can help Erza and the rest kick your sorry asses?" The two sides oohed in excitement at Lucy's comment.

"Well then let's go," Natsu said, his voice deep and challenging. "Let's find out who'll win." There was silence for a while as Lucy and Natsu glared at each other in friendly competition. It was Erza who finally broke it up.

"Team Scarlet, huddle up!" she shouted. "Layla, c'mon." Though she didn't want to be the first to break the stare-down with Natsu, Lucy was forced to join her new teammates. Spinning on her heel, she strutted behind her where all her friends and a few strangers had gathered for the game.

"Layla, there a few people you need to get acquainted with before we start the game," Erza said. It seemed ever since the match was mentioned she had truly taken on the role as the drill sergeant. Something told Lucy Erza did not like to lose.

"Layla, this is Fried, Bickslow, and Bisca, three crucial members of Team Scarlet," she stated, gesturing to the three people standing beside her.

"I'm Fried and this is my friend and performance partner, Bickslow," said one of the men with long, green hair. He stood next to his friend he had introduced as Bickslow who had purple hair shaved on either side of his head and strangely piercing green eyes. "We do hypnosis acts at the circus."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, baby!" Bickslow replied, sticking his tongue out which had the Fairy Tail emblem stamped in the middle.

"And I'm Bisca." Layla shifted her eyes from Bickslow and Fried to give her attention to the beautiful woman standing next to them. She had long, green hair similar to Fried's but it was loosely braided down the back and she had an adorable brown cowboy hat atop her head with golden sequins circling it. "My husband Alzack and I do sharpshooting. Unfortunately for him, he's over at Team Dragneel," she said with a sly grin.

"It seems you all get pretty into these games," Lucy said, suddenly feeling the pressure of being the failure of the game.

"Don't worry, Layla," Erza said, staring down their competitors. "We'll make sure to keep you circulated in the back so there's very little chance for you to hit the ball."

"Ah, c'mon, Erza, don't be such a hard-ass! Let Layla play for real," Cana said, slinging her arm around Erza's shoulders. "I'm sure she'll do great!" Lucy's eyes widened and she began to shake her head but Erza spoke up before she could protest.

"I supposed she could circulate with the rest of the team," she mused.

"Oh, no, really—"

"Great! Then it's settled. Layla, you can stand next to me and I'll try to fill you in on our team captain's strategy," Cana said, holding out her hand for Lucy. She took it tentatively and Cana had to yank her along to the designated playing field where the Master was setting up a net with the help of Mirajane and a large burly man with spiky blonde hair a lightening scar across his right eye.

"Who's that?" Lucy breathed, shocked at how built the man was.

"Oh, that's Laxus. He's on Team Dragneel but we have kickass members of our own," Cana said casually.

"Um, Cana, I'm not sure I can do this," Lucy said nervously. "What if I'm the reason the team loses?"

"Don't think about it. Once you get into the swing of things, the game will be a cinch. You'll get it in no time. Plus, won't it be fun to see Natsu's surprised face when he sees how right you were about being an awesome volleyball player?" Cana wiggled her eyebrows at Lucy who snuck a glance at Natsu. On the other side of the net, she could see him stretching and preparing his body for the game. Unfortunately, he caught her staring at him and when she turned away, she couldn't help but blush profusely at him catching her staring at his muscles.

"Kind of…" she replied.

"That's the spirit! Now let's kick some ass!" Cana shouted, whooping loudly and taking a large gulp from her flask.

"Teams! Get in position!" the Master shouted. Cana positioned herself and Lucy in the back to the far right.

"Okay, so both teams rotate five minutes at a time to the left in the back and to the right in the front. The person positioned next to the person on the far left is the server, so it constantly circulates. Only hit the ball if it comes directly at you, otherwise, someone else will take it. If you step out of bounds, the whole team loses a point." Cana pointed to a thick line drawn in the sand to Lucy's right which was a foot away from her.

"Are you ready?" Cana asked. When Lucy looked to her, she could see even the slightly intoxicated Cana had a look of seriousness on her face. Lucy's stomach flipped with nerves.

"Um…" she replied, her voice shaky.

Before she could even finish her sentence, the Master shouted out, "Begin!" and Natsu threw up the volleyball and smacked it over the net to serve. The ball hurtled towards Mirajane who mirrored Natsu's position on Team Scarlet. Anticipating Natsu's aim, she jumped into the air and gave the ball a swift but hard kick on the other side of the net. Lucy couldn't help but stare in awe and shock at Mirajane's skill.

Following the ball, Lucy noticed everyone on both teams seemed to be utilizing their special skills from their practices in order to get the advantage in the game. Instead of kicking the ball, Natsu, Happy, and Gray maneuvered the ball almost like it was one of their props in their performances, as did Juvia on Team Scarlet. Erza, Mirajane, and Ever used their powerful kicks and acrobatic tricks to try and hit the ball completely out of their opponents reach, but it seemed Wendy, Carla, and Lisanna had the same ideas as well. And Cana—as well as Levy who was on Team Dragneel—used the simple volleyball techniques to hit the ball; holding their hands together in fists.

Lucy was completely overwhelmed, not just by the sheer power of each member of the teams, but also by their obvious experience. She had certainly played a few games of volleyball and soccer prior to her mother's death, but never in a professional way. She couldn't help her heart from pounding loudly in her chest and the shaking of her hands from the anxiety. Her forehead and hands were already drenched in sweat as well.

"Layla, heads up!" came Erza's sharp voice. In her reverie, Lucy had completely lost herself and almost hadn't noticed the ball speeding towards her. Panicked and not sure how to hit the ball away, she nearly missed the shot before Cana heroically stepped in and pounded it away from her.

Sighing with relief, she mouthed a "thank you" to her friend who responded with an "are you okay?" Lucy nodded vehemently but Cana didn't look convinced.

"I'll cover you until you get into the flow of the game," she whispered directly into Lucy's ear. She smiled her thanks and focused her thoughts on how to make a comeback.

It seemed to Lucy everyone was using their specially acquired skills to make the game more interesting. As she continued to watch the match, she was surprised to see Mirajane even backflip off one of the poles of the net. But Lucy couldn't think of any abilities she had learned over the past week she could use to help in winning the game. A roundoff certainly wasn't going to be useful. Then, she thought, perhaps it didn't matter whether or not she used some fancy method to hit the ball. After all, Cana and Levy were using the classic techniques Lucy had grown up with. Perhaps each member was playing the game to their strengths.

 _Then that's exactly what I'll do,_ Lucy decided.

The Master suddenly blew the whistle, signaling the rotation of the teams. Making sure to keep pace with Cana, Lucy followed the shuffle and stepped smack dab in front of the net. Forcing her fear and anxiety aside, she took in a deep breath and prepared herself for the next round. She felt Cana's gaze on her left side and she glanced over to give her a reassuring smile. No one had scored yet—Erza had caught the ball after the Master blew the whistle—so this was Lucy's chance to make her huge resurgence.

"Get in position, players!" the Master shouted, raising his hand with the whistle in between his lips. Lucy shifted her shoulders backward and forward and glanced at Cana who picked up Lucy's attitude change quickly.

"Begin!" the Master shouted, blowing the whistle and signaling Ever to serve the ball. Everyone fell into the flow of the game easily again and Lucy focused her sights on the ball. After it was tossed around a few times, Lisanna kicked the ball right at Lucy in the hopes of catching her off guard. Smirking, Lucy bent into her knees and clenched her hands into a fist, hitting the ball as hard as she could so it bounced off to Juvia. Having pounded the ball over to her teammate, Juvia was able to swiftly hit it to the other team.

The second round of the game was a vicious one. Everyone was kicking it into high gear and it seemed no one was willing to let anyone get the first point. As she waited for the ball to come at her again, Lucy tried to find an opening where she could hit the ball and secure a point for her team. Watching the ball bounce back and forth, Lucy noticed how in the middle of all the excitement, Levy on Team Dragneel left quite a large space between her and the line indicating the out of bounds area.

"Cana," Lucy hissed to her friend. Cana peeled her eyes away from the game for a moment and turned to Lucy who had a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Pass the ball to me when you get it," she instructed. Cana gave her a questioning look but when she saw Lucy's obvious confidence, she nodded and quickly reverted her attention to the game.

After another minute, the ball came right at Cana who readied her stance and hit the ball just enough that Lucy could hit it back across. The hit was pretty hard which caused the ball to fly up into the air for a while before it came tumbling back down. Jumping up to anticipate the shot, Lucy hit the ball with all her might into the unprotected area. Levy immediately saw where the ball was going but she noticed it too late and it landed right in the sand, churning a cloud of sand.

"Point for Team Scarlet!" the Master shouted, blowing his whistle.

"Alright, Layla!" Cana exclaimed. The rest of Erza's team crowded around Lucy to briefly celebrate their victory before they were broken up by the Master calling for another rotation and the start of the new game. This new rotation brought Lucy and Cana right into the front where Lucy locked eyes with Natsu who was now standing at the back. He was still staring at her in disbelief and she smirked, winking and making a kissy face at him.

"Not bad for a newbie, huh?" she challenged. Cana and the rest of the team burst out laughing, Bickslow's the loudest of them all.

"Better be careful, Layla," Natsu countered. "You just started a war."

"Bring it on, tough guy," she teased.

"Get in position, everyone!" the Master called, announcing the end of the battle of words. Both teams immediately became focused and the game began anew with added vigor.

 **A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this newest installment! Don't forget to leave a review, too! :3


	16. Chapter 16 - By the Seashore

**TO MY READERS:** I am trying very, very to upload somewhat biweekly but anyways... Here is Chapter 16! I can't believe how far this story has come along-despite all the times I thought I wouldn't finish it-and how many of you have gotten so wrapped up in it. It gives me such joy to think about all of you out there who are still reading and enjoying this story. It really does give me a reason to keep writing. Hope you guys enjoy this week's chapter.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XVI - By the Seashore**_

Two hours ago, the rigorous volleyball match had ended. Team Scarlet had scored in the final half and won once again. After everyone shook hands and congratulated each other on such a great game, they all decided it was time to relax and simply enjoy each other's company. Mirajane and Lisanna had brought more than enough food from the dining hall, all appropriate for a day at the beach: huge sandwiches, chips, hamburgers, and hotdogs. The guys and girls eventually split off into the respective groups to eat and chat, what about a secret to either sides.

As Lucy took another bite of her delicious sandwich, Cana elbowed her in the side and smiled drunkenly at her.

"I have to admit," Cana began, "I was very surprised with how well you played considering it was your first game." Lucy put her sandwich back on its plate and shook her head.

"I've played volleyball and other sports before. Maybe not to the extent of all of you, but I've dabbled in each one," she answered.

"Where did you play?" Erza asked.

"Mostly at home. I was taught by my serve— I mean, my mother," Lucy said, pressing her nails into her palm at her near slip up. She gave a subtle sideways glance to Cana who reassured her with a nod of her head.

"Speaking of your family, aren't they worried about you?" Levy asked. "There hasn't been any sign that they've been looking for you."

 _Except for the Wanted poster that makes me look like a criminal,_ Lucy thought.

"I, um…I don't think so…" Lucy started.

"If she doesn't want to talk about it, she doesn't have to," Cana said, wrapping her arm around Lucy's shoulders. "It's her decision when she wants to talk about her family."

"Well, it's not that I don't want to share…" Lucy began again.

"Cana's right," Erza said, interrupting Lucy. "I'm sorry, Layla. You shouldn't have to be forced into talking about something you consider your private business."

"I'm sorry, too, Layla," Levy said.

"After all, we all know how difficult it is to talk about family," Erza said.

"If you don't mind me asking, and you don't think it rude that I'm not reciprocating, what were your families like before you left for the circus?" Lucy asked.

"It's not rude at all, Layla," Erza said in a soft voice. "Jellal and I were orphaned at a young age. Pretty much everyone here lost their family and become a part of Fairy Tail when they were young. Everyone except for Juvia and Gajeel, of course. But the rest of us grew up in the circus. There was the Master and Gildarts who raised us."

"Who's Gildarts?" Lucy asked.

"Gildarts is my dad," Cana replied, taking another sip from her flask. "I came to Fairy Tail after my mother died to find him and I ended up joining but it took me a long time before I told him who I was. Him and the Master taught us everything we know about performing."

"How come I've never seen him?"

"Gildarts doesn't travel with the circus," Levy answered. "He stays in Magnolia or does a bit of his own traveling. Not many people know he's associated with us because he takes different jobs and puts the money into the circus to keep it going."

"Why doesn't he travel with the circus if he's such an integral part?" Cana shrugged her shoulders at Lucy's question.

"He's explored so many parts of Fiore on his own he probably doesn't wanna repeat the drudgery of the trip. Either that or he wants to avoid all the women he's ditched in the past," Cana said with a snicker. "He likes to keep to himself, but he's okay as father's go, I guess."

"He sounds really interesting," Lucy said. "I'd love to him."

"You could if you decide to stay with us, you could," Levy said with a smirk. A nervous fire lit up in Lucy's stomach and she swallowed hard.

"Will you be staying with the circus, Layla?" Erza asked.

"We've all grown to think of you as a member," Juvia added.

"Well…um…I'm not entirely—"

"We'd all miss you so terribly," Wendy said. Suddenly, the girls around Lucy began bombarding her with questions. Feeling overwhelmed and feeling her panic rising, Lucy stood up and sped-walked away from the group, hoping no one would follow her. Confused, Erza and some of the other girls started to stand but Cana raised her arm and shook her head.

"Just let her go for now," she said sternly. Erza and the others looked at Cana with confusion but as she stared out after Lucy, the girls sat back down and continued eating their lunch.

Deciding she had put enough distance between herself and the group, Lucy slowed her pace to a walk as she strode along the seashore. She was only a few inches away from the waves that lapped up onto the sand and she leaned her stride towards the cool water. As the seawater licked at her feet to cool them, Lucy's panic began to subside.

Usually it was only Cana who inquired and pushed Lucy to give an answer about whether she would be staying with the circus. Having all her friends come at her all at once with questions made her nervous to answer. And she didn't know what she wanted to do yet. The Wanted poster still hung heavily on her shoulders and every time she thought about staying with the circus and abandoning her family, she kept seeing the poster with her name on it and the reward money beaming at any passerby. It frightened her to think of the lengths her father would go to to have her back.

Overwhelmed by her thoughts, Lucy headed towards a few scattered rocks sunken into the sand to have a seat. She removed her cover-up and placed it down on the sharp rock, lowered herself onto it, and stared out at the ocean with the water grazing her toes.

"Enjoying the ocean breeze?" Lucy's heart leapt at the sound of Natsu's voice and she turned her head to see him standing behind her with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's really refreshing." Natsu looked down and kicked the sand before asking his next question.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, nodding to the shorter rock residing about a foot from Lucy's.

"Sure," she said with a smile. Natsu quickly sat down and removed his hands from his pockets, staring out at the horizon with Lucy. Silence fell between the two friends and before they knew it, the late afternoon sun was beginning to tint the sky a light pink and orange. Lucy sighed, a cool breeze swirling around her which indicated nighttime was imminent.

"I saw you get up kinda fast when you were hanging out with the girls," Natsu said, interrupting the silence. Lucy shifted her gaze to him and nodded her head.

"I just wanted to be alone for a little while," she said, hoping he wouldn't press any further.

"Any particular reason why?" Lucy repressed the urge to huff in frustration, knowing that if she explained why she left the group, she would have to go into detail. Details she wasn't yet ready to share with anyone except Cana.

"None that I'd like to talk about right now," she said simply, moving her eyes back to the horizon. Natsu sighed and shook his head.

"I know you're hiding something, Layla," he said. "And I get you might not be ready to share it with anyone yet. But let me tell you, it sucks to have to bottle everything up. Everyone here has their own issues and difficulties. But they've never had to face them alone. We have each other. That's what makes Fairy Tail a family. Families trust each other and believe in one another. Families are always there for you."

Staring at the sun, Lucy felt tears prick her eyes. She wished so badly to stay with the circus, to have what she always wanted—a loving family. But deep down inside, she knew that would never happen. After her two week sentence was up, she'd have to return to the Heartfilia Konzern and marry the awful Duke Sawalu. It made her stomach churn and her throat clench with tears at the very thought of leaving such a loving and caring place such as Fairy Tail to return to such a dark and desolate home.

"I think it was just be better if I bottle it all up inside," she said, swallowing her tears and inconspicuously wiping her cheeks. Sensing she was done talking about it, Natsu shrugged his shoulders and together, the two watched the sun begin to set on the day.

The pair continued to sit on their rocks until the pink and orange sky gave way to purple which slowly descended into black as the sun fell further and further down the horizon. At long last, Lucy's mind finally began to clear and she felt herself slipping away into nothingness with her eyes glued on the setting sun.

Natsu couldn't help but let his eyes flit over to Layla every once in a while, noting how the sun's last rays cast beautiful shadows on her face and splashed its colors on her hair. His heart tightened and he felt blush rising in his cheeks in thinking of how beautiful she was. He wished with every fiber of his being she would just open up to him. But he could only wonder what bothered her so much she was driven to tears or had to run from people she considered her friends.

" _Everyone has secrets and a past they'd rather not relive. The only thing we can do as friends is be there for them when they're ready to talk about it_." Natsu recalled the advice he had received from Erza when he asked her about Layla. He really felt she was the only person he could go to about these kinds of things. She was like the older sister he never had.

 _Maybe it is best to wait,_ he thought to himself. _Pressuring her might just push her away from me._

"Layla! Natsu!" The two snapped their heads towards the source of the sound to see Cana and Erza standing and waving out to them from far away.

"I guess we're being herded back," Natsu said, grunting as he stood back up from the rock. "You coming? They're probably getting ready to start the fire pit for dinner."

"I think I'll stay here for a couple more minutes if you don't mind," Lucy said, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging her legs.

"Suit yourself," Natsu said, crisscrossing his arms behind his head. "But lemme warn you now. If you don't hurry, the good stuff will be gone." Lucy glanced up at his kind face and saw him wink down at her with a smirk. She allowed a small smile to cross her lips and Natsu walked away, waving back to Cana and Erza. Once he got up to them, he spent a moment talking to them before all three retreated back to the group.

Lucy looked back to the sunset, a heavy pit falling into her stomach. She truly felt she was at a crossroads and she had no idea which route to go. It was torturing her. She wished so badly it was an easy decision to make: either stay or go. But it was so much more than that.

Closing her eyes, Lucy let her mind sweep away with the soft, cool breeze of the beach. Just when her mind felt clear, a memory snuck its way into her thoughts. A comforting memory of her mother. It was back when Layla was first being treated for her cancer and both her and Lucy had gone out to the garden late at night to look up at the stars. Lucy couldn't help but smile as the memory resurfaced.

 _"_ Mama, I don't think you should be out here so late," Lucy insisted, yanking gently on her mother's hand as they walked towards the garden.

"It's alright, sweetheart," her mother assured her though she was already beginning to pant from exerting her body. "We'll only be out here for a few moments." Lucy finally renounced her insistence and allowed herself to be guided to the garden she and her mother had grown together.

"Ah, come have a seat with me," Layla exhaled as she lowered herself down on the white marble bench. The bench was situated right in the middle of the gardening, surrounding the structure with the various flowers and plants sprouting from the ground. Taking her mother's hand, Lucy sat down on Layla's right and stared up at the dark blue sky. The sun had just gone down and night was only beginning but the stars were already making their appearance in the sky as well as the moon.

Layla breathed in deeply, the smells of the garden enveloping her to offer some comfort. Her eyes fell to her daughter who was gazing up her, worried.

"It's alright, love," Layla laughed, stroking Lucy's soft blonde hair. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"But the doctor's said the medicine will make you weak," Lucy said. "I think you should go back to bed, mama."

"Don't worry about your mother, darling," Layla said. "I know what my body is capable of doing and not doing. And I know I can handle simply sitting her with my beautiful daughter to look at the stars." She smiled at Lucy sleepily and she finally felt convinced her mother was alright.

"Okay," she replied.

As mother and daughter sat together in silence, the stars began adorning the sky as the night grew darker and darker. Together, the two spent some time pointing out constellations and making up their own from their imagination. They laughed and smiled, hugging each other close underneath the night sky.

After a while Layla became serious, her expression changing from one of joy to that of sadness. Lucy remained blissfully unaware of her mother's change in mood and Layla forced a small smile back across her lips. She wanted her daughter to remember her mother as happy and cheerful until the bitter end. After all, there wasn't much else Layla could give her daughter now.

"Lucy?" Layla said, still staring out into the night sky.

"Yes, mama?"

"You know I'm always going to be there for you, right?" Lucy was silent for a moment, processing her mother's words.

"Um…"

"Just think about the stars, for example. They don't always appear but you know they're there. It'll be the same with me." Layla looked at Lucy and smiled, her eyes wetting with tears. "You might not be able to see me or hear me or touch me, but just know I will always be standing by your side. I will be there for as long as you need me."

"But, mama, I'll always need you," Lucy cried, wrapping her arms around Layla's waist.

"Oh, I know, sweetheart, I know," Layla said, sniffling. "But always remember, _I'm right here_."

Snapping her eyes open, Lucy lost her grip on the memory and it faded away. The last three words she remembered her mother speaking to her felt as if they had just been whispered in her ear. Almost as if her mother really had been sitting on the rock with her…

With the idea stuck her head, Lucy sighed and looked around to make sure no one had come back over to see her. Deciding she was alone, she took a deep breath and began talking to her mother.

"Mama?" she said, already feeling her throat tightening. "I know you said you'd always be there for me and if there was ever a time I needed you most, it's right now." Sniffling and trying to compose herself, Lucy continued.

"I don't know what to do, mama. I love Fairy Tail and I know they care about me, too. But if I leave father, he'll come after me and I can't even image the type of horror he'll put the circus through.

"But I'm so happy, mama. The happiest I've been since you left us. I know you've told me before to follow my heart, but it's a lot harder than it seems. If you're here, and I have a feeling you are, I just need a sign. Even if it's something small. I just need a _sign_."

Overcome with emotions, Lucy felt her mother's presence and smiled as a soft breeze swirled around her again. That time, though, it was definitely her mother's soft caress.

"Okay," Lucy smiled, wiping away her tears. "I know what to do now." Calmed and revived with a new purpose, Lucy got up off the rock and headed back towards the group. Even from far away, she could smell the delicious meal being cooked on the fire pit.

As she headed away from the shore, Lucy missed seeing the slightest silhouette sitting on the rock. The figure's long, blonde hair swept with the wind and a beautiful smile came across her face as she watched her daughter head back to her friends.

 _Happiness has finally found you, my love._

 **A/N:** I really do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you think! :3


	17. Chapter 17 - The Search Party

**TO MY READERS:** Chapter 17 is up! Please enjoy & don't forget to leave a comment!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 ** _XVII - The Search Party_**

When Lucy's alarm went off at quarter to six the next morning, she groaned in protest at having to wake up early to such a dull day. Compared to the festivities of the previous day, Lucy couldn't have pictured a more boring Monday. But, because she was always needed somewhere around the circus, Lucy slammed down on the clock's snooze button and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Rubbing her face and passing her hand through her blonde hair, she staggered towards the door, still completely drained from the other day.

"Wow," Cana smirked when she glanced at Lucy emerging from the guest room. "Good morning, sunshine." Cana was already seated in the booth with a cup of coffee in front of her deck of cards she was practicing for the evening to follow.

"Want me to cook breakfast?" Lucy asked, pouring herself a much-needed cup of joe.

"Nah. There's gonna be a huge breakfast this morning at the dining hall. Since it's our last week in Acalypha, they're trying to get rid of all the food now," Cana said. Lucy's heart dropped even further at the thought of the circus already leaving.

"I can't believe the two weeks is almost up," she said softly, sitting across from her friend and taking a sip of the hot drink.

"I really don't mean to be a bug," Cana began, "but you should probably think about telling the Master everything like you told me. We can protect you, Lucy." Cana reached across the table and took Lucy's hand. "You can have a real life here."

Lucy found herself stroking the back of Cana's hand and smiled. Little did she know, Lucy had a plan in the works. She didn't want to reveal the details yet in case it didn't work at all, but it was a comfort to know she had some kind of idea of what she was going to do.

"I think I already know what I'm going to do, but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up just yet. Including yours," Lucy added when she saw Cana's expectant expression. "Just trust me, Cana," she said, squeezing her hand. It was a while before Cana smiled and nodded.

"Alright," she replied. "It is good you're thinking of something at least."

Lucy smiled though she still had to work out one tiny detail: How was she going to face her father?

"Well, we should probably get ready," Cana said, standing and downing the last of her coffee. "If we don't hurry all the good stuff will be gone." Lucy smirked and followed Cana's lead, heading into the guest room to get ready with her coffee in hand.

Staring at her outfit options while she sipped from the mug, Lucy decided on a strapless, pink crop top and high-waisted, black skirt with a pair of black, over-the-knee stockings. Predicting she would feel a bit exposed with just the pink top, Lucy picked out a long-sleeved, blue button-up cardigan as well as a pair of. Once she had fastened her wig on and cleaned herself up in the bathroom, she dressed and waited in the kitchen for Cana.

A few moments later, Cana emerged from her own room. She wore a much simpler outfit than Lucy which consisted of a long, gray top she was passing off as a dress and a short red and black plaid shirt tied around her waist. Yawning, Cana stretched her arms over her head and revealed a pair of very short black shorts underneath the shirt to Lucy's relief. Scuffing towards the door with her furry, blue purse slung over her shoulder Lucy noticed the pair of beat up white sneakers tied on Cana's feet. It seemed it was a lazy day for her.

"Ready?" she asked, leaning against the door and yawning again.

"Yup," Lucy replied.

The two girls headed out into the early morning, the sun taking its time to rise in the sky. As they made their way to the gate of the trailer park, Lucy noticed Happy and Natsu coming out of their trailer. A fire ignited in her stomach when her eye caught Natsu's grungy outfit and his messy, long hair: He wore a tight blue shirt that outlined his muscles, a pair of baggy black pants, and some black, scuffed up sneakers. Happy was the first to noticed Lucy and Cana and his smile suddenly faded. Lucy blushed and hoped they could walk on separately, but Cana caught a glance at them as well and waved to them.

"Natsu! Happy!" she smiled, raking a hand through her messy brown hair.

"Morning, Cana. Layla," Happy replied as he and Natsu walked up to the girls.

"Hi, Natsu," Lucy said a bit awkwardly.

"Hey…" he said. Silence fell between the groups and Cana let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, this has been sufficiently awkward," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "So I guess _I'll_ be the one to answer the question. Natsu. Are you and Layla going to be practicing your routine today?" Lucy gawked at her friend as the blush rose in her cheeks like a hot fire. Natsu was taken aback by the bluntness of Cana's question and scratched the back of his head nervously before he answered.

"Um…I guess… That is if Layla still wants to…" he said, shifting his eyes away from Lucy as his cheeks revealed a soft pink color.

"Oh, I know she does," Cana said, elbowing Lucy in the ribs. "You two should discuss. Happy, come walk with me." Happy couldn't help but snicker at Cana's straightforwardness, despite his previous anxiety of Natsu and Lucy clashing once again. He followed Cana's orders and hurried to catch up to her as she walked alone towards the gate. Lucy and Natsu stood alone for a moment, both feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"I really was hoping we were going to continue with our lessons," Lucy piped up, turning on her heel to head in Cana's direction. "It was a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Natsu laughed, falling into step next to her. "Especially when we burned that hole in the stage floor." Lucy couldn't help but giggle at the memory.

"Oh, yeah! Did they ever fix it in time for your performance?"

"Yup. It's as good as new now," he replied, letting his eyes fall on Lucy. She looked back up at him and smiled. "Is it true?"

"What?"

"You still wanna practice?"

"Of course! I just hope you're feeling better. Happy told me you got sick everywhere. The last thing I need is for you to puke on me, too," Lucy laughed until she saw Natsu's confused face.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Happy told me a while ago you got sick. That's why you weren't there when I landed my side aerial with Wendy and Carla," she explained. Natsu's eyes widened in remembrance and he chuckled uneasily.

"Oh, right! Yeah, it was a mess," he said, avoiding Lucy's eyes. "But I'm a hundred percent better now so you don't have to worry." Lucy glared at Natsu with pursed lips, waiting for him to meet her eyes. When he refused to look at her, she huffed and turned away, rubbing her arms from the chilly morning breeze.

"I'm really glad you landed the side aerial," he said. "I wish I could've been there, but it'll be awesome in our performance."

"It sure will be," Lucy said, still a bit annoyed from Natsu's obvious lie.

Eventually, Cana and Happy fell back a bit to let Lucy and Natsu back into the group as they continued to the dining hall. The conversation became a bit lighter as they playfully bickered about the outcome of the previous day's volleyball match. Once they all arrived at the tent, they immediately gravitated towards the table where Gray, Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, and Levy were sitting.

"Yo, guys!" Natsu called out, folding his arms behind his head. Everyone at the table was already eating so Natsu, Lucy, Cana, and Happy stood over them, getting ready to grab their own breakfast.

"Good morning, Natsu," Erza said, taking a bite of her strawberry cheesecake. Lucy couldn't help but shake her head at Erza's less than satisfactory eating habits.

"Well, now that Flame Brain's arrived, I've lost my appetite," Gray grinned, throwing his fork down in a dramatic fashion. "How's your plagiarized routine going, Hothead?" he asked, swiveling in his seat to stare at Natsu with a smirk.

"Don't get too cocky, Ice Princess," Natsu growled. "Layla and I have been doing a great job so far. We're gonna blow your stupid little dance right outta the water."

"Oh, yeah?" Gray retorted, getting angry and butting his head against Natsu's.

"Gray-sama! Don't fight in here!" Juvia cried, yanking on Gray's arm.

"Enough you two," Erza said, suddenly appearing in the middle of the Natsu and Gray, slamming her fists down on both of their heads. The two guys fell to the ground in pain, rubbing their heads furiously.

"Why do these idiots always have to fight when they're around each other?" Gajeel grumbled, shoveling a spoonful of eggs into his mouth.

"Shut it, you bastard!" Natsu and Gray shouted from the floor. Lucy and Cana couldn't help but laugh at the two guys as they struggled to get back up. They scowled at one another but went their separate ways, Gray sitting back down next to Juvia and Natsu heading towards the buffet.

"Gray-sama, are you alright?" Juvia asked, sounding a little irritated.

"I'm fine," he muttered, going back to eating his breakfast.

"C'mon, Lucy," Cana said whispered so no one heard her real name. "Let's get some food before Natsu takes it all." She gently pulled Lucy to the back of the tent where Mirajane was catering to the circus workers. The tall, muscular blonde named Laxus Lucy saw yesterday was talking to Mira as he was making himself a plate of food, both of them smiling and laughing.

"Layla! Cana! Good morning," Mira smiled, waving as the two girls approached her and Laxus. He turned his head towards Lucy and Cana and offered a small smirk.

"Morning, Mira. Don't you think it's a little too early to be flirting? I couldn't even be bothered," Cana asked, bursting out in laughter at her own joke. Lucy's eyes widened in shock and looked to Mira who didn't even seem to be bothered by Cana's rude comment.

"Anyways…" Laxus said as Cana composed herself. He then shifted his eyes to Lucy who couldn't help but notice the large lightning bolt-shaped scar running from the top of his right eyebrow down to the top of his cheekbone. "My name is Laxus. I've heard a lot about a Layla who was sentenced to living and working with us so it's nice to finally put a face to the name." Laxus stuck out his hand and smiled warmly at Lucy as she accepted his handshake.

"It's wonderful to meet you," she replied. "What do you do here at the circus?"

"I perform lightening shows," he said. "I'm also in charge of the firework display for the Goodnight Ceremonies. As you can probably tell," he said, gesturing to his scar, "it can get pretty intense."

"You should definitely take the time to see Laxus' show before we leave, Layla," Mira insisted. "It's absolutely breathtaking."

"I would love to see it!" she said excitedly. "Hopefully I'll get the chance. Natsu and I are really going to have to put a lot of time into our routine, though. We're kind of behind."

"Oh, right!" Laxus said, chuckling. "I heard about Natsu and Gray's bet through the grapevine. I'm really pulling for you guys. I don't really take sides in their stupid fights but because you're new and I've heard you've been working really hard, I'd like to see you two pull it off. Plus, I will admit it'd be extremely satisfying to see Gray dress like a woman next summer." Laxus' joke got a good laugh out of the four of them and Cana burst out in giggles once again.

"I don't mean to be nosy, but what were you guys talking about earlier?" Lucy asked.

"Laxus and I were just talking about our possible route for next summer," Mira explained, completely unfazed by Cana's obnoxious laughter.

"Already?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, we always plan way in advance," Cana said once she finally recovered. "The Master and Gildarts make the itinerary a couple of weeks after we get back from our summer shows so we have a good idea of where we'll be going the following year. That's another thing Gildarts does for the circus. He goes around and asks town mayors if we can perform in a certain place for them. He's most likely doing it right now."

"So do you know which towns you're going to next summer?" Lucy asked Mira.

"Gildarts has three right now but we like have six lined up by January. It'll give us enough time to figure out a schedule and route for the towns that way. Plus we usually stay two weeks in each town so it gives us plenty of time to get permits and such for when we set up the circus," Mira said.

"And it's only the Master and Gildarts who does this?" Lucy asked. "It seems like a lot of work for just two people."

"More likely than not, Levy jumps in to calculate expenses and help out in any way she can. If it gets too much for even all three of them, they ask Erza. She's basically second-in-command to the Master."

"I still can't believe we only have five days before we leave Acalypha," Cana said, glancing at Lucy briefly. "It feels like we just got here."

"I know," Mira said, sighing. "And to think our summer tour is over is unbelievable. It always feels like these things go by in a flash."

"Speaking of which," Laxus said, looking to Lucy. "Do you have any idea about whether or not you'll be staying with us, Layla?" Lucy saw Cana's expression out of her peripherals but she placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. With a smile on her face, Lucy felt a rush of confidence as she finally gave a real answer to the question everyone had been asking her.

"You could say I have something up my sleeve," she replied. "But I'm not going to give an answer just yet."

"Well, I hope you stay, Layla," Laxus said. "The circus tends to be a lot more exciting when we have a new person around to share the fun."

"Alright, enough chit-chat!" Mira interrupted, gesturing to the long line of food stretching down the tables. "Time to dig in! I don't even think Natsu could eat all this by himself." Cana and Lucy reached out to the pile of plates and silverware stacked to their left and began walking down the buffet, scooping out their choices for breakfast. After having filled their plates to their satisfaction, the girls waved goodbye to Mira and Laxus and headed back to the table where everyone was still sitting, enjoying breakfast. Once Cana and Lucy sat down at the table, the conversation at the table shifted to include them as well. The two laughed along with everyone and chatted with them as well, making Lucy feel like she actually belonged with them.

"So, Layla," Erza said as the conversation began to dull down. "How is your routine going with Natsu." Before she could answer, Natsu seemingly appeared out of nowhere, wrapping his arm around Lucy and smiling widely.

"We're doing really well," he said. "We're gonna be practicing today, actually."

"Juvia heard the costume department is already working on your outfit, Layla," Juvia said. Lucy craned her head to Natsu who was already gazing with a knowing smirk at her.

"Oh really?" she said, glaring at him.

"Yup," he said, smiling. "Thank you for reminding me, Juvia. The costume designers want to meet with you soon to get the measurements for the outfit."

"You'll probably need to double check the design. Natsu's not exactly a fashionista," Cana said, giving Natsu a smug sideways glance.

"In that case, I most certainly will," Lucy said, pushing Natsu off of her. "I won't be going on stage looking like an idiot," she said with pursed lips. Natsu looked at her with a disappointment.

"Fine," he huffed. "But Happy already approved my outfit design so I don't know if you could come up with anything better."

"I think you should leave the costume designing to the professionals, Natsu," Erza said. The group let a laugh at Natsu's expense who just looked upset. Lucy offered him a reassuring smile and his mood improved a bit more once he returned to his seat.

About an hour later, everyone inside the tent began gathering their trash and getting ready to return to their tents in preparation for the show that night. Waiting until a good half of the people exited the tent, Lucy, Cana, and the rest of their group rose from the table and started throwing away their garbage.

"See you this afternoon," Cana whispered to Lucy as she headed out of the dining hall. Once Natsu had cleaned his spot, he and Lucy walked out of the tent together and made their way to his tent.

Inside, Lucy saw the stage had been replaced entirely in the time since she'd been there. It was made with a much darker wood, most likely mahogany, and it stretched out a little bit wider. She couldn't help but stroke the sanded, shiny wood as she and Natsu ascended up the stairs.

"They did a nice job, didn't they?" he asked with a proud smile.

"It's beautiful," Lucy agreed. "I hope we don't ruin this one."

"Don't worry," he replied. "They sprayed the entire thing with fireproof clear anti-slip paint. As long as we put out a future fire quickly, you'll barely be able to see any of the damage." Lucy stepped up onto the stage and watched as the lights around the tent danced on the shiny floor like twinkling lights. She couldn't wait to perform with Natsu on such an exquisite platform.

"Should we start with the side aerial?" Natsu said, rubbing his hands together in excitement. Lucy nodded and began stretching as Natsu ran to the back to grab her workout clothes, the spheres, and the improved fireproof gloves. When he came back with the gear, Lucy had just finished up her stretches and he tossed her leggings and the unitard to her.

"Hurry and change so we can get started," he said. "I can't wait to see what we can do with this." Lucy rushed to the backstage as Natsu started tying up his hair and getting the spheres ready. Returning with her workout clothes on, she saw Natsu was already juggling the spheres around with the magnetic gloves on, making them appear as though they were flying through the air.

"Ready?" he asked, blowing out the flames, setting the spheres down on the floor, and standing off to the side to give Lucy some room.

"All set," she said, getting in position and preparing herself for the side aerial. Taking a running start with her arms over her head, Lucy catapulted herself into the air, her eyes pinned the floor underneath her as she waited for her legs to fall back onto the ground. Once she landed, she raised her arms up and smiled widely, proud of herself for landing such a graceful side aerial.

"Awesome!" Natsu shouted, clapping for Lucy. She bowed jokingly and stood with her hands on her hips. "I think I have an idea as to what we can do. Could you do another one for me?" he asked, lighting the spheres and moving them around to warm up.

"Of course," she said, walking back to her starting position. Lucy gave a quick shake of her head to Natsu know she was ready and she began running, noticing the spheres were following her as she did so. After she leaped up into the air, she saw one of the spheres hovered right below her face and, upon landing, saw the spheres were surrounding her.

"Okay, that was incredible!" Natsu exclaimed. "I had all the spheres form a circle around you as you did the aerial and it looked like you were your own star! It was amazing!"

"Really?!" Lucy asked, giddy with happiness.

"Oh, man, I can't wait to perform this once we have a routine in place!" he said.

"This is so exciting! Should we practice more?"

"Absolutely! Let's keep going and get something started here."

For the next two hours, Natsu and Lucy practiced the fire ring side aerial as well as a beginning to their routine. The entire time Lucy felt as though they had formed an unbreakable team, working through their frustrations and congratulating each other on their victories, whether big or small. They weren't just creating a performance for a bet; they were forming a bond of support. After their rigorous practice, Natsu suggested taking a five-minute break to relax for a little while. They both sat on the edge of the stage, laughing and smiling as they sipped their water and discussed other elements to work on later.

Suddenly, Levy rushed into the tent, out of breath and worried.

"Layla, Natsu," she panted, clutching the curtain as she attempted to take in air.

"Levy?" Lucy asked, shooting up and hopping down from the stage. Natsu hurried after her and they both jogged over to stand in front of Levy.

"What's the matter?" Natsu asked, concerned.

"Some strange men showed up at the gate asking to speak with the Master," she said, breathing heavily. "They're pretty creepy, dressed in all black and all. The Master's just about to let them in to talk but they look like trouble. I thought I should let everyone know before they get inside."

"Strange men?" Lucy repeated. As she shifted to look at Natsu, she noticed he was just returning from the stage again, a sheath in his hand.

"Natsu?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm not taking any chances this time," he said, tying the sheath around his waist. Lucy looked down at the case and saw the handle of a dagger sticking out of it. Her eyes widened as she remembered the story Erza told her about the robbers who once tried to kidnap Juvia.

"C'mon, let's go, Levy," he said, heading out the tent. Lucy moved to follow them but he stopped and spun around to her. "Not you, Layla."

"What?" she blurted out, confused.

"If these guys are a real danger, I'd rather have you here in the tent where you're safe."

"Natsu, I'm going with you," she insisted. Natsu and Lucy stared each other down for a moment before Levy interjected.

"We have to go now, guys," she said. Natsu shook his head but didn't stop Lucy again when she ran after them. The three of them jogged their way towards the entrance of the circus, Lucy noticing Laxus, Fried, Bickslow, Ever, and Elfman heading in the same direction. Natsu only nodded to them as they continued to the gate.

Finally arriving at the large entryway, Lucy saw everyone else was standing in waiting for the doors to open. Erza, Juvia, Gray, and Gajeel were the closest to the direction in which Natsu, Lucy, and Levy had come from and they slowed down to a walk to get close to them.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked.

"The Master has just decided to let them in," Erza said. "He's inside the ticket booth now, opening the doors."

"Why not just talk to them through the booth?" Lucy suggested.

"They said they wouldn't just take to Gramps," Gray replied. Natsu and Lucy exchanged looks of confusion and then the grating sound of the gates opening tore their eyes from each other. Once the doors parted, three men dressed in long, black trench coats walked into the circus, eyeing everyone.

"Where is Makarov Dreyar?" asked one of the men. At that, the Master quickly emerged from the ticket booth, arms crossed and attempting to stand as straight as possible.

"What can I do for you?" he answered, his voice oddly stern and loud.

"We are here in concerns to a missing persons report filed a few days ago. We found a clue as to their whereabouts which would bring them here," the same explained, his gaze shifting over everyone. Lucy's eyes immediately searched for Cana who stood only a few feet away, already gazing worriedly at her.

"Missing persons?" the Master asked. One of the other men reached into his coat, prompting Natsu to reach inconspicuously for the handle of his dagger. Lucy's throat tightened, her stomach churning from the nerves. The man drew out a rolled up piece of paper and shook it out, revealing Lucy's Wanted poster.

"This girl's name is Lucy Heartfilia," the foremost man said, gesturing to the flyer. "She has been missing for almost two weeks now. We are looking to return her to her father, Jude Heartfilia, at the Heartfilia Konzern. If you see her, we encourage you to contact the Acalypha police right away." The man with the poster shoved it forcefully to the Master who took it in his hand and studied it carefully. Lucy wanted to run so badly but knew it would only give her away. She prayed the Master didn't recognize her in the photo.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," he said, handing the paper back to them. "I haven't seen this woman around here anywhere." The man retrieved the flyer and rolled it back up, handing it to his partner.

"Well, in any case, we have reason to believe she may come here at some point," he said. "Again, if you do see her, please find either me, one of my colleagues, or the police. It's very important you do."

The Master nodded and the men slowly looked around at the circus folk again. Lucy tried her best to hide in plain sight, but as the eyes of the men came around to the left, one of them let their eyes gaze on her a little too long for her liking. Immediately, she snapped her eyes away and prayed they would just leave. Making the mistake of allowing herself to glance at them again, she noticed the same man was still staring at her.

"Alright, men," said the leader. "Let's get going." The glaring man finally peeled his eyes from Lucy and the three guys walked away, the Master rushing back into the ticket booth to close the is bad, Lucy thought as the gates drew shut. This is

 _This is bad,_ Lucy thought as the gates drew shut. _This is_ really _, really bad._

 **A/N:** Please leave a review for me! I love hearing from you all. Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18 - An Uneasy Feeling

**TO MY READERS:** Hello again! I know it's been a month since I last uploaded & I truly am sorry for having kept you guys waiting for so long. A lot has beeing going on in my personal life & it's made it somewhat difficult to write. However, I do have some good news: I only have two more weeks of school left! Hopefully, this means once exams are over I will be able to upload more frequently-maybe not every week, but I definitely won't be leaving you hanging for a month. Anyways, here is Chapter 18! I really hope you guys enjoy it & please don't forget to leave a review. Hearing about your thoughts on each chapter is so important to me & knowing you actually care about this story gives the encouragement I need to continue writing. Thank you all for sticking around & I hope you like this new installment! 3

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XVIII - An Uneasy Feeling**_

The sky had opened up and the sound of rain offered a comforting background noise as Lucy sat on the wooden bench in front of the piano. Though the day had started off with a bright blue sky and only a few clouds, darkness had quickly descended over Acalypha only a few minutes after the strange men left the circus. Lucy had immediately snuck away, hoping no one had followed her, and retreated inside Mavis' tent to be comforted by the piano. One hand supported her head and the other lazily tapped the keys to _Clair de Lune_. She didn't want to think too heavily about the recent incident for fear she would completely break down. Deep down, she knew it was only matter of time. Eventually, her father would've tired of waiting with just the posters hanging around town. She knew he would send people out looking for her. After all, she was the only person who could ensure the Heartfilia family's success. There was no way he would let her go so easily.

Tired of playing, Lucy let her hand slump into her lap and brought her knees up to her chest, letting her shins lean against the piano as she buried her face in her legs. So consumed by everything, she didn't even hear the tent's curtain being parted or the footsteps coming up behind her. It was only until the intruder cleared their throat that Lucy's head shot up and she met the Master's eyes.

"I thought I might find you here," he said with a soft smile. "Mind if I take a seat?" Lucy nodded and scooted over to make room for the Master as he sat on the bench.

"So, would you rather me call you Layla or Lucy?" he asked. Lucy's eyes widened at him and she felt her stomach tighten.

"H-how did you know?" she asked. The Master shrugged his shoulders.

"The only difference between you and that girl in the poster was your hair color. Besides that, everything else is the same," he said.

"Why didn't you turn me in?"

"I figured you would've come forward on your if you really wanted to leave. When you didn't, I knew there was something else going on. Care to tell me?" Lucy looked away from the Master and stared at the golden inscription on the piano. She knew it was no use keeping the secret any longer, so she began her long story.

"I hate it there, Master," she said once she had finished. "It's so cold and unloving and I have no freedom. Everything is decided for me, even my marriage. But I love Fairy Tail. I finally feel like I have a family and I couldn't be happier here. I don't want to go back but I know my father will never stop looking for me. I just don't know what to do." There was silence for a while, the pitter-pattering of the rain providing the only sound.

"I believe in difficult times like this it's important to rely on those around you," the Master said. "Friends are the people in our lives who help us through difficult times and allow us to grow stronger from adversities. No one can ever go through life alone. No one can grow like that. You need people in you life to help guide you and offer advice. True friends are always there for you, through the good and the bad times.

"And from what you've told me, you have many people here you care deeply about you. Those are not the people to push away at a time like this. I believe that would be a huge mistake, deciding to live all alone."

 _Cana_. Lucy smiled as she thought about how understanding she was when she revealed her identity. She kept her secret even though she thought it best to tell the Master and she was there when Lucy needed her most. Cana really was the truest friend Lucy had gained from her two weeks at the circus. She couldn't even imagine her life without Cana in it anymore.

"Well," the Master said, interrupting Lucy's thoughts, "I heard Natsu wants you to meet him over at the costume department. The dress he had made for your routine is almost done but they need the measurements. It's two tents down to the left from the dining hall, for when you're ready."

"Wait," Lucy shouted as the Master stood up from his seat. "I still need some time to figure everything out. Until then, could you please not tell anyone else about who I am?" The Master stopped and turned his head only slightly towards her.

"Another thing friends are very good at is keeping secrets. They would never dream of disrespecting a comrades wishes," he said with a smile. Lucy nodded and watched the Master pull up his hood and step out into the pouring rain.

Lucy remained seated at the piano for only a few more minutes before deciding she had to get back to everyone. Removing her cardigan, she stood from the stool and headed towards the exit of Mavis' tent. Lifting the cardigan over her head, she sprinted out into the rain towards the costume department. Her feet sunk in the wet sand but she forced herself to go faster, not wanting to get her wig wet. As the rain pitter-pattered around her, Lucy was taken back to when she was little, when she and her mother used to play in the rain. Every once in a while during the summer, rain would last for a few days or maybe a week in Acalypha. Jumping around in the puddles and tilting her head up to catch the drops in her mouth with her mother was her favorite part of those times.

Coming up to dining hall, Lucy quickly turned left and ran down until she reached a tent decorated with various fabric pieces. To the right side of the tent, a small foldout sign stood out in the rain with the words " _Costume Department_ " written in big, red, cursive letters. Lucy dashed into and slowly lowered the cardigan off her head to look around the inside of the tent. The ceiling of the tent was enormous and colored a light pink, reaching cathedral ceiling heights. Bringing her eyes back down on the ground, Lucy saw racks upon racks of costumes all arranged by variation of color. The different shades of blue, purple, and pink were on her left along with racks reaching further down which she couldn't see and on her left were the shades of purple, green, and red. On both sides, the tent was filled with different costumes which came all the way down to the far back of the tent and Lucy could hardly believe her eyes. She had never seen so many clothes in her entire life.

"Hello, there!" Lucy turned to the voice and saw a young woman with short purple hair coming up from behind one of the racks with a clipboard.

"Hi," Lucy said with a smile.

"Are you Ms. Layla?" the woman asked, bringing the clipboard down in front of her. She wore a petticoat dress which had a white shirt with ruffles down the front and a high collar around the neck. Starting midway underneath her ribcage was the black skirt, decorated by black and white striped bows around the hem with white ruffles peeking out from the bottom. On her feet were a pair of black Maryjane pumps strapped across her ankle with a black bow at the heel and red bottoms on the bottom. The poshness of the young lady's attire made Lucy think right away she was the person in charge of the department.

"Yes, that's me," Lucy said with a smile.

"Wonderful! My name is Kinana and I am the director of the costume department. Natsu was hoping you'd get his message," she said. "Come. I'll bring you to him and the fitting lounge." Kinana turned around and walked down the middle of the tent and Lucy quickly followed.

Not only was the tent extremely long but it was also very wide. Making a left towards the back of the structure, Kinana and Lucy shuffled through some of the racks and came across a second entrance with another foldout sign designating it as the " _Fitting Room_." Kinana opened the flap of the section and gestured for Lucy to step in. Once she entered, she saw a long line of small rooms sectioned off by curtains. The ones which weren't in use had the flaps pulled apart with thick strands of rope, revealing a full body mirror set up at the back of the room. Some of the circus performers were inside trying on their costumes, showing off for their friends who clapped at how beautiful their ensemble was. In front of all he dressing rooms were backless, pink couches and a round platform for the costume workers to make adjustments on their designs. Lucy spotted Natsu down at the far left, sitting with his back turned on the couch.

"The rough design of your costume is already inside the dressing room," Kinana said, heading down to where Natsu resided. Lucy walked behind her and stepped in front of Natsu whose head snapped up upon her arrival.

"Hey, Layla," he said with a smile.

"Hey," she replied. He stood up and came closer to Lucy as Kinana slipped into the dressing room.

"Where were you?" he whispered into her ear. Lucy swallowed hard as she inhaled Natsu's scent. Whatever he was wearing made him smell amazing and it caused Lucy's stomach to flip. With him so close, she could feel his body heat radiating off him and onto her.

"I was just at Cana's trailer," she finally choked out, trying to recompose herself. He nodded but something in the way he looked at her told her he wasn't buying it.

 _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you told him the truth,_ Lucy thought to herself. But something inside of her twisted painfully. What would he say if she told him the truth? What would he _do_? She had lied to him about who she was for a week and a half now. What if he wasn't as understanding as Cana was when she first found out? A little voice inside her head told her to keep her identity just between her, Cana, and the Master—at least until everything was sorted out.

"Alright, it's all set for you, Layla!" Kinana said excitedly. "Natsu and I will wait out here until you're finished. If you need some help, just shout for me, okay?" Natsu stepped back and sat down on the couch again, folding his arms across his chest. Lucy looked back to Kinana and nodded, attempting to calm herself down. Once Kinana and Natsu were seated, Lucy walked inside the fitting room and slid the curtains shut. When her eyes fell on the outfits hanging on the left side of the room, she hardly thought they were a rough design. The two parts of the costume before her were breathtaking.

The first part of the costume was a mid-length cape seemingly made out of fire. There were no strings to tie the cape around her neck but when she approached it, Lucy could see two pieces of velcro underneath the lapels on either side of the garment. The lapels themselves were an swirling mix of orange, red, and yellow with silver glitter decorated across the top to accentuate the designs. The fabric creating the cape itself appeared similar to the lapel coloring but in the light, the fabric created the illusion of being on fire. And the hem of the cape was singed, looking like someone had actually put it over a fire. And to the right of the cape was the rest of the ensemble. Despite the flashiness of the cape, the outfit next to its predecessor wasn't nearly as gaudy. In fact, Lucy imagined it would be far more impractical for her and Natsu's routine; but Kinana and whoever else designed this costume knew what they were doing.

Hanging next to the cape was a beautiful, full body leotard. The collar came up high, probably just about to the neck, and curved out to the sides. The neckline fell far, most likely going down to about the middle of the chest. But the design on the clothing was what made Lucy excited about the leotard: the collar and the rest of the top of the outfit had a swirling, hungry-looking flame all across the original black coloring. Spinning the hanging around, Lucy saw the back of the leotard had a keyhole back which was also given a flame design. However, the fire died out once it reached down to the hips where the dying sparks of the fire popped all around the waistline. After the sparks disappeared, the rest of the leotard was a sleek black with the hem cutting off at about the top of the ankles.

On the floor underneath the costume was a long beige box. Excited to try on the outfit, Lucy bent down and lifted the cover, revealed a pair of thigh-high, red, velvety, high-heeled boots. Mouth hanging open, Lucy rose up from the ground and eagerly began undressing, slipping on the leotard. On each shoulder as she had suspected were the velcro patches to connect the cape. Removing the cape from the hanger, she carefully pressed the lapels against the patches and spread the cape out behind her, feeling the soft silky fabric. The body suit was just as comfortable as the cape, almost as if she wasn't wearing any clothes at all. Before she stepped in front of the mirror, Lucy quickly pulled on the boots and adjusting to the heel height. Fortunately, the heels weren't thin like most of the heels she owned herself; they were thick and sturdy, making for perfect performance shoes.

Once she had the entire outfit on Lucy glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled, smoothing down the leotard and spinning around to get the full effect of the cape. As she turned, the fabric followed and made it seem as if she were on fire. The only thing she wished was to take off her wig. Everything about her costume was beautiful and amazing, but her short, black hair was a sharp contrast with the coloring. If she had her normal blonde hair, she was positive the whole thing would be an absolute showstopper. But there was really nothing she could do about the hair situation so, instead of dwelling on it, she faced the curtains of the dressing room and pulled them apart to show Natsu and Kinana.

Natsu knew something was up with Layla. He kept fiddling with his hands as he and Kinana waited for Layla to come out of the dressing room. He just wished she would be honest with him. He wanted to know her and help her. He felt something was very wrong ever since those weird guys had shown up at the circus and he wished Layla would open up to him so he could be there for her. And he had a sneaking suspicion Cana already knew much more about Layla's situation than she led on. It was killing Natsu to think Layla didn't trust him.

"Stop fidgeting, would you?" Kinana said abruptly as she wrote on her clipboard.

"Huh?" Natsu replied absentmindedly. He ceased his hand motions and looked to Kinana who was still absorbed in her work. She didn't say anything more but Natsu noticed she was now smiling as she scribbled on the paperwork before her. It seemed clear to everyone else Natsu had a thing for Layla, but he kept refusing to admit it to himself.

She was leaving in another week. She would say her goodbye's, return to her family, and probably completely forget about the circus. There was no point for Natsu to get involved with her. Happy had been right: it would just leave a mess. He only wanted to focus on their routine to get it perfect and settle the bet with Gray. But his feelings always managed to make themselves known, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them.

After another minute of bouncing his leg up and down, Natsu heard the curtains to the fitting room slide out of the way. Both he and Kinana snapped their heads up and the sight before Natsu caused his mouth to drop and his eyes to widen.

Layla looked absolutely stunning the costume Kinana had designed. She looked like a princess made from the element of fire itself and he could tell she loved it, too: she was practically glowing with enthusiasm. The costume itself Kinana had fabricated from a rough idea Natsu had had. He wasn't very good at drawing so he had given his best description of what he imagined Layla wearing and Kinana replicated it nearly to a tee. The cape was even better than Natsu imagined and the leotard had been fixed so it's colors didn't mix in too much with the cape. Everything about the costume was perfect, as was Layla.

"So," she asked, twirling around excitedly. "What do you think?"

"It looks absolutely stunning!" Kinana gushed, placing her clipboard down on the couch and gesturing for Layla to step up on the platform. "Natsu was nearly exact in his guessing for your sizing but there are a few minor details we'll have to fix before it's ready."

As Kinana fussed over the small pieces of thread hanging from the leotard and cape and some extra fabric that needed to be eliminated, Natsu couldn't help but stare at Layla. A smile was nearly plastered to her face while she shifted around for Kinana. She looked to happy and carefree, and Natsu couldn't help but smile as well.

Suddenly, Layla's brown eyes shifted to his and rather than looking away as he normally would have, he smiled and met her eyes. She beamed back and gestured at the costume.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think you look incredible," he said without hesitating. Layla blushed in response and turned back to Kinana who was now talking to her. Natsu leaned back a little on the couch and watched Layla as she moved around and laughed and smiled.

All the while, his heat beat faster and a feeling he never experienced before created a warm spot right in the middle of chest. But he wasn't bothered by the sensation.

 _I could get used to this._

After her fitting appointment, Lucy and Natsu decided to head back to the tent and work on the routine again. It was getting late—probably mid-afternoon—and they wanted to practice a bit more before dinner. Fortunately, the rain had stopped for now but the clouds in the sky were still a menacing grey color. A sudden flash of lightening indicated an oncoming thunderstorm was on its way to Acalypha.

As Lucy and Natsu walked together to his tent, they began talking about their routine with vigor and Lucy told him how impressed and in love she was with the costume. She could hardly wait to finish the routine and perform it for their friends to prove to Gray they had won. The conversation quickly died down though and it was silent for a little bit before Natsu spoke up again.

"Hey, Layla?" he asked, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah?" she replied, encouraging him to continue with a grin. Her heartbeat quickened, thinking he might ask her to hang out together after practice, just the two of them, as they had on the beach.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Absolutely." Natsu hesitated for a moment until he finally mustered up the courage to ask her the question that had been bothering him since she disappeared after the strange men arrived.

"Why can't you be honest with me?" Lucy was puzzled by the question and stopped walking as they were almost in front of Natsu's tent.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her stomach twisting in discomfort.

"I mean, why can't you just tell me the truth?" he replied, his tone becoming impatient. "I know you're hiding something and I can see it's upsetting you. I want you to know I'm hear for you and I want to help you but I can't do that unless your completely honest with me."

For some reason, Lucy knew Natsu would become more upfront with her about the secrets she'd been keeping. She just didn't think it would be so soon. She desperately wished to tell him the truth, to tell him everything, but she didn't want to drag him into her mess. She had men looking for her and they had come to the circus explicitly to search for her. It was becoming too dangerous to involve Natsu—or anyone else, for that matter—in her lies. She knew it was best for her to come up with a solution and a plan to the problems facing her before coming clean. It was for the best. And she certainly didn't want to get Natsu's hopes up by saying she was staying if she couldn't negotiate anything with her father.

Lucy would simply have to keep her cover for now. It was really the only way.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," she said, shaking her head and looking down at the wet sand. "I wish I could be honest with you like you want, but I just can't right now."

"Why not?" The anger in Natsu's voice made Lucy look up at him again and she saw he was now standing only a few inches from her. "Why can't you tell me the truth?" he demanded. Lucy glared back up at him, becoming aggravated. Why couldn't he just except the fact she couldn't tell him anything yet? Why couldn't he be understanding? Why did he have to be so stubborn?

"Because I can't, Natsu," she replied, her own voice reflecting the same anger Natsu had expressed in his.

"Do you not trust me?" he snapped back. "I thought we were partners. I don't know if you get this yet, but partners are supposed to trust each other. Or do you not understand the meaning of the word?" Lucy was so taken aback by the rudeness and harshness of Natsu's words she had to take a moment to process them. This was exactly what she was afraid of, that he wouldn't be as kind as Cana had been when she found out who Lucy really was.

"Of course I trust you, Natsu," she said, trying to recompose herself and calm down.

"Then what is it?" he asked angrily.

"I…"

"You what? What, Layla? What is it? What lie are you going to spin now?" Overwhelmed, hurt, and angry, Lucy shook her head and covered her ears as Natsu shouted at her. Scared, she stepped back from him to get some distance as he barked his questions at her. Suddenly, she was no longer on the beach, standing a few feet away from Natsu's tent arguing with him. She was inside her father's study as a little girl, attempting to get his attention as he worked at his desk. No words were spoken but Jude Heartfilia unexpectedly lurched from his chair and slammed his hands on his desk. But it wasn't her father's voice she heard as he yelled at her; it was Natsu's. He kept shouting his questions at her, trying to get her to tell him the truth but she was just a little girl. She was young and frightened of her father, this giant standing before her, shouting angrily at her. She was so afraid of what he would do next…

"Stop it!" Lucy shrieked, falling on the ground with her hands over her ears. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Shocked by Lucy's outburst, Natsu's anger quickly dissipated and he shrunk down to place a hand on her shoulder as she cried.

"Layla…" At his touch, Lucy scrambled backward and fell on the wet sand, whispering, "Get away from me" over and over again.

"What?" Natsu asked, suddenly worried he had done something wrong in his fit. It took a little while before Lucy's heart stopped racing and she finally returned to the beach, to the circus. She wiped her eyes, surprised at their wetness, and looked up to see a concerned Natsu kneeling in front of her.

"Layla, are you okay?" he asked.

 _Oh, gods,_ she thought. _What happened? What did I say?_

"Layla?" Natsu was still trying to call her back from inside her mind but now she was too shaken to even look at him.

"I—I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry." She quickly stood from the ground and began walking away but Natsu reached out and took her wrist, stopping her.

"Layla, where are you going?" he asked gently. With her thoughts still stuck on the vivid memory of her father, Lucy spun around and stared at Natsu with eyes he had never seen before. She looked at him with pleading, frightened eyes, like she was looking at someone who would cause her harm. Like she was the mercy of someone else.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she muttered, her eyes filling with tears. "Just let me go. I'll go back to my room, I promise." Natsu immediately released Lucy, a sickening feeling churning his stomach. Why was she looking at him like that? Like he would hurt her? What had he done?

Once he had let her wrist go, Lucy instantly sprinted away to the trailers. The tears were blocking her vision a bit but she knew where she was going. She kept crying, not only from the awful vision she had but she also cried for Natsu. All he wanted was to know the truth and instead he had to experience _that_. She had had a fit and a bad one at that. How would she face him now? What would ask? How would he act around her now? The last thing she wanted was for him to feel like he was walking on eggshells around her. But how else would he act after seeing that display?

 _What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?_


	19. Chapter 19 - The Aftermath

**TO MY READERS:** Hello again, everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas or holiday  & as my gift to you wonderful people, I give you the next chapter of this fanfiction. I regret to inform you that AU will be ending soon, however, I promise there will plenty more stories to come in future which I hope you'll stick around to read. So, please enjoy this chapter and I will see you guys soon!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XIX - The Aftermath**_

There was only one other time in Lucy's life she had ever felt so guilty and afraid. It was her sixteenth birthday and her father once again had forgotten about the occasion, locking himself in his study to do work like always. Ms. Spetto had made Lucy a special breakfast and also promised a cake with dinner later that night but beneath the smile and her excited facade, Lucy felt far more depressed than she had in a while. It was her sixteenth birthday after all. She desperately wished for her father to be a part of her special day since her mother couldn't. So while Ms. Spetto was busy getting the extravagant dinner ready, Lucy entered her father's study for the first time in years.

Right off the bat, Jude Heartfilia greeted her coldly as she had expected. But Lucy stood her ground; she simply wanted to inform her father about her birthday dinner party. He refused to listen and began yelling, asking Lucy why she had interrupted his work and what she thought was so important to barge into his office uninvited. At that point, she had begun trembling and could no longer stand to be hollered at. She stormed out, heartbroken and hopeless.

She had run into her room and cried, wondering why her father was so cruel and why he didn't love her like her mother had. Thousands of question ran through her mind and as she whimpered, her twisted mind and broken heart fabricated ill-judged answers: _He cruel because that's all you deserve. He doesn't love you because you are a disappointment. He hates you. Your mother died to get away from you. She never loved you either; she just tolerated you. Can't you see that, or are you too thick to understand?_

Tortured by her thoughts and sinking into the absolute darkness within her, Lucy's mind conjured up one singular idea: _End it all. It'd be so easy. Just do it. You'll never amount to anything anyways. What've you got to live for?_

As terrifying as the thoughts were, Lucy wasn't afraid. In fact, she felt calmed by the idea. So, with the idea repeating itself over and over again, she walked into her bathroom and searched for her razor. Retrieving the sharp object from the cabinet above the sink, Lucy sunk down into the bathtub and stared at her left wrist with the razor in hand.

 _Do it. There's nothing left for you. You'll never amount to anything. What've you got to live for?_

Just as she was about to run the blade across her skin, the bathroom door opened and Ms. Spetto came in. Her smile quickly faded when she saw what Lucy was about to do and she rushed forward, grabbing Lucy by the wrists.

"No! Just let me do it! Please, let me do it! Let me go! Let go!" Lucy wailed, her voice sounding like her own. Ms. Spetto struggled to pull the razor from Lucy's hand and, once she apprehended it, gripped her shoulders, staring into Lucy's eyes.

"Please, my love," she whispered. "Don't." Ceasing her shaking and shouting, Lucy looked back at Ms. Spetto and suddenly came to her senses. Realizing the severity of her actions, Lucy fell against Ms. Spetto and sobbed like an injured animal. She felt so empty, terrified to be in her own body. She felt unsafe.

"There, there, my love," Ms. Spetto whispered, petting Lucy's hair as she cried. "I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here for you."

Once Ms. Spetto had gotten Lucy out of the bathroom and into her bed, she had given her a pill to put her to sleep for a while. When she had woken up it was almost six o'clock and Ms. Spetto along with the rest of the servants had brought Lucy's birthday dinner to her room. They sang to her, ate with her, and sliced the cake. Lucy put on a happy face for everyone though she still felt empty inside, terrified of what she would do as soon as they all left and she was alone again. But even after all the servants left to clean up, Ms. Spetto remained in Lucy's room, telling her old fairy tales like her mother used to until she fell asleep again.

That day was the most painful in Lucy's entire life. She had felt rejected by her father, guilty for not becoming the kind of person her father would've wanted…or loved. Her mother was the only person who understood Lucy and now she was gone. Her father would never care for her in the way her mother did. She knew she would just continue living the unloving, heartless existence, same as her father. It made her sick thinking of having to suffer through such a miserable life.

And yet, she still found the will to live. Instead of dwelling on the possibility of a negative future, she tried to live in the moment, focusing on spending time with the people who actually cared for her. Ms. Spetto and the other servants, they were the people she leaned on.

But here she was again; sat on the guest bed, sobbing violently with her knees clutched tightly to her chest. She cried out of guilt for shutting Natsu out, for making him feel like she didn't trust him, for making him angry with her. The guilt was unbearable and all she could do was sob. She wished terribly for Ms. Spetto to walk through the door, hold her close, and tell her everything would be alright.

It felt like hours before Lucy heard a soft knock rap on her door. If someone had entered the trailer earlier, she would've never heard the sound over her own wailing. But it was at that point she was just slowing down, her cries turning into soft sniffles as she wiped her eyes and nose.

"Lucy?" Cana whispered through the door. "Can I come in?" Lucy could only muster a grunt and Cana cautiously entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"What's the matter?" she asked. Lucy felt fresh tears rising in her eyes again and Cana quickly moved to sit beside her troubled friend. It was a while before Lucy calmed down once again but once she did, she told Cana everything through choked sobs. It came as a complete shock to Lucy Cana had understood anything of what she said and she reassured her by squeezing her against her chest.

"It's alright, Luce," she whispered. "Everything is going to be just fine." Lucy nodded her head in agreement and wrapped her arms around Cana's waist, allowing her friend's comfort to anchor her.

Exhausted from her breakdown, Lucy eventually fell asleep in Cana's arms as she soothed her with the stroking of her hair and soft shushing sounds. Having noticed she had closed her eyes, Cana gently laid Lucy back on the pillows behind them and covered in a soft throw folded at the end of the bed. With Lucy tucked away comfortably and sound asleep, Cana headed out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Cana looked at the clock and saw it to only be a little after six. More likely than not, Lucy would be waking up again in the middle of the night. Restless and not quite tired, Cana grabbed her flask, her umbrella, and headed out of the trailer.

 _Something needs to change_ , she thought as she walked through the harsh downpour of rain. _It needs to change now_.

* * *

Natsu sat on the couch across from Happy, juggling the charcoal spheres as Happy stared back at him.

"When are you gonna talk to me?" Happy asked, aggravated he wasn't getting anything out of Natsu. A few hours ago, Natsu had stomped into the backroom, exasperated and angry after attending Layla's fitting appointment. Happy let him take a few minutes to cool off but after a while, he began asking questions. Questions Natsu refused to answer.

"Not now, Happy," he had said, pacing around. Now that he had sat down and was absentmindedly playing with his spheres, Happy wanted to prod him some more. Just as he was about to do so, though, someone entered the tent and broke the silence.

"Natsu!" Both Happy and Natsu were surprised to hear Cana's voice echoing through the auditorium. Without waiting for a reply, they heard her footsteps bound up the stairs to the stage and towards the backroom.

"There you are," she said, shaking out her drenched umbrella and walking up to Natsu. "Can I talk you?" Natsu nodded but Cana narrowed her eyes to Happy. "Alone?" Happy let out a disgruntled growl but stood up anyway, heading to the stage. Once he was gone, Cana took his seat and opened her flask.

"How's Layla?" Natsu asked abruptly. Cana took a swig of her alcohol before she answered.

"She's asleep now," she replied. "Though she was pretty upset when I got back to the trailer. Actually, the most upset I've seen her since she came here." Natsu covered his face with his hands and scrapped them down his skin, clearly unsettled.

"Look, Natsu," Cana began, "I know you feel left out or whatever, but it's not your place to force her to confess anything to you. If anything, she's afraid of what you'll think of her."

"But I _care_ about her," he said. "What about that does she not get?"

"She knows you care. But she carries a very heavy burden. Honestly, it's been tearing her apart since she was sentenced to work with the circus. She didn't even directly tell me; I found out myself on accident.

"Point is, Natsu, you need to give her space. She's in a very difficult position right now and getting angry or frustrated with her isn't going to help anything. It's best to just let her know you're there for her and let her figure things out at her own pace. That's all you can do right now. That's all _I_ can do right now. Okay?"

Absorbing Cana's words, Natsu nodded his head. If all Layla needed was to only know he was there for her, then that's what he would do. He wanted to comfort her, to be someone she felt she could trust. Not someone she was afraid of or someone who drove her to tears. Cana was right: he needed to back way off.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll try to ease off." Cana bowed her head.

"Good," she said, standing up. "Well, tomorrow's a new day. I'll tell Layla you're still up for training and see what she says. And you better remember this little conversation of ours. I don't want to find her balling her eyes out again, got it?" Cana glared deeply into Natsu's eyes and he felt a chill run up his spine. Layla and Cana truly had grown close over the past week. She truly cared for her and obviously she had Layla's best interest at heart. If there was anyone in the entire circus to entrust a secret to, it was most certainly Cana.

"Don't worry," Natsu said. "I promise I won't do anything more to upset her." Cana grunted in reply and took another sip from her flask.

"Well, I've got nothing better to do," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "Wanna go over to the dining hall and see what Mira's got cooking?" Natsu shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

"Sounds good. Happy! We're going to dinner," he shouted. Happy emerged from the stage looking angry but Natsu gave him a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Happy," he said. "I'll tell you everything when we get back." Happy gave Natsu a weary look.

"You mean it?" he asked.

"Absolutely. C'mon, let's go," he said. Happy returned Natsu's smile as Natsu threw his arm over Happy's shoulders. Both of them turned to Cana and began heading outside again into the pouring rain.

* * *

When Lucy woke up the next morning, her head ached like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It felt like someone was hammering at her skull with a jackhammer. She groaned as she flipped herself on her back, staring at the ceiling. Only a minute later, a knock sounded on her door. Grumbling, Lucy moaned for the person to enter and tried sitting up against the pillows.

"Good morning," Cana said softly, caring a tray of food. Lucy smiled weakly as she rubbed her head, her wig all messy and tilted from her rough night's sleep. She carefully removed it from her head as well as the net and placed it on the shelf behind her as Cana waited beside the bed.

"I figured you'd have a headache and would be fairly hungry," she said, making sure to keep her voice at a low volume. "I brought a nice big cup of tea. It'll help with the headache and it's better for you than coffee." Lucy smiled again as Cana lowered the tray on Lucy's lap, the legs standing on either side of her thighs. When Lucy started eating and drinking, Cana decided it was time to tell her what happened after she'd fallen asleep.

"So, I went and talked to Natsu last night," she began. Lucy nearly choked on the hot tea and had to stop herself from slamming it back on the tray.

"You what?! Cana, what did you say to him?!" she shouted, doing nothing to help her headache.

"I didn't tell him anything. I just asked him to stop bugging you about revealing yourself to him." Lucy calmed down and sighed, leaning her head on the pillows.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I know you better than to think you would've told him everything without my consent."

"It's okay," Cana said, placing her hand on Lucy's. "But he did say he would ease off. And whether or not you want to continue your training today—or at all—is entirely up to you. Take all the time you need." Cana stood and walked to the door but Lucy stopped her.

"Cana," she said. Her friend turned. "Thank you." Cana smiled and bobbed her head, leaving the room and closing the door on her way out.

When Lucy emerged from the guest room, she had fixed her wig atop her head and was dressed in a simple pair of shorts and a tank top. Her head still hurt but not nearly as bad as when she had first woken up. Cana was cooking some more breakfast and once she turned to Lucy, she smiled.

"Hello again," she said, shimmying another helping of eggs and bacon on a plate at the table.

"Morning," Lucy said, still hungry after not having had dinner the previous night. She sat down at the table and immediately began devouring the extra helping.

"So…" Cana began, sipping a cup of coffee. "How are you feeling?" Lucy took a few minutes to chew her food before answering, grimacing a bit.

"Embarrassed," she admitted, looking down at the table. "I haven't had a fit like that in a while and I feel ashamed of having broken down in front of you. I'm sorry."

"Are you serious?" Cana stared at Lucy, her eyebrows raised.

"What?"

"You don't have to apologize for anything," she said, reaching out and taking Lucy's hand. "I want you to feel you can come to me with your problems. I want you to know I care about you and am here for you whenever you need support. I'm your friend, Lucy. There is nothing to be sorry about." Tearing up, Lucy grabbed Cana's hand with both of hers and rested her head atop them.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you." Cana smiled gently and rubbed the top of Lucy's head as her friend cried a little bit more.

"Now, then," she said once Lucy had dried her eyes and calmed down enough for a topic change. "Are you planning on joining Natsu for practice today?" Lucy hesitated again.

"I think I will," she said. "It's best if I talk to Natsu instead of avoiding him." Cana nodded and smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

After Lucy had finished her breakfast, she cleaned herself up and began walking to Natsu and Happy's tent. She desperately needed to apologize to Natsu for the other day but she also wanted to assure him that she did trust him. Maybe it was time for her to open up and tell him her secret. After all, her sentence was almost up and she wanted him to finally know the truth. She didn't want to exclude him anymore.

Arriving at the tent, Lucy pulled back the curtain and peered inside to see Happy and Natsu already on the stage stretching. Their backs were turned to her so she walked further in and stood at before the stage, waiting for them to turn around.

"Ready to start, Happy?" Natsu asked, spinning around on his heel.

"Aye, sir!" The two stopped in their tracks when they had moved around to face Lucy. She stood below them with a smile and waved.

"Good morning," she said. Natsu nervously ran a hand through his hair and tied it back into a messy ponytail. Happy bowed out silently and retreated to the backstage area, giving Natsu and Lucy some privacy.

"Hey, Layla," Natsu started.

"Before you start," Lucy said, walking around to climb up the stairs, "I want to apologize."

"You want to… What?" Natsu asked confused.

"I know you must feel left out and angry with me for keeping so many secrets from you. But I want you to know, I don't see you as any less of a friend than I do Cana. I've just been so scared to tell anyone anything about myself because I know I'll only be here for a few more days. But I think—" Lucy was interrupted then by Natsu grabbing her by her waist and pulling her against his bare chest. Shocked at first, Lucy kept her arms at her side, but eventually, she slowly raised her arms to embrace Natsu back.

Though he and Happy had been working out for a while, Natsu didn't smell like anything other than a mix of the sun and an unknown spice that made Lucy's heart race. His arms were tight around her small frame and she felt warm and protected against him. It wasn't like any other feeling she had ever experienced before. It was strange and new but she knew right then she never wanted Natsu to let her go.

"I'm so sorry, Layla," he whispered into her ear, his breath smelling of peppermint. "I should have never pressured you like that. I don't want you to feel like you need to tell me anything about yourself you don't feel one hundred percent ready to share with me. Whenever you want to talk, I'm always here." Lucy tightened her arms around Natsu in an encouraging squeeze.

"Thank you," she whispered back. "That really does mean the world to me." Though she was reluctant to, Lucy began retracting her arms and Natsu did so as well. They stood in front of each other only a few inches apart and Lucy's mind suddenly began swimming with the idea Natsu would kiss her right there. But he didn't: instead, he took a step back and clapped his hands together, ready for work.

"Alright, well since you came, I'm assuming you're ready to pick the training back up?" he asked, fixing his hair into a tighter style.

"Oh…um, y—yes!" Lucy stammered, trying to focus her thoughts on stretching and getting ready for the workout ahead.

"Good. I wouldn't want to feel like I scared you off," Natsu said with a sly smirk. Lucy laughed.

"It would take a lot more to scare me away," she said. Natsu smiled warmly and waited for Lucy to finish warming up.

Once she had finished, Natsu and Lucy began discussing ideas to start their routine, brainstorming ideas and immediately deciding against some elements Lucy was still shaky on. Having come up with a rough idea, they seamlessly kicked off the beginning, Natsu being extra carefully to slow down to Lucy's beginner's pace as she tried picking up his quick movements. Though it was tough work, they had about the first five minutes of their routine figured out and decided to take a short break. Rehydrated and ready with more ideas, they got underway in coming up with a middle and the fantastic finale Natsu was sure would bring the house down. Panting and sweaty, the two ended the routine, completely breathless and stunned at their accomplishment.

"Did we just…?" Lucy asked in amazement as she shifted her head to look at Natsu behind her.

"Oh, we did," he said. Lucy jumped up from her kneeling position on the stage and ran to Natsu who caught her in a hug and spun her around.

"We did it!" she shouted in amazement, her arms wrapped around Natsu's neck. He squeezed his arms around her waist and gently dropped her back on the ground.

"Of we did! I knew we could this whole time!" he exclaimed.

"Have you always had this blind optimism?" Lucy giggled.

"It's not blind if I believe in the person standing right in front of me," he said. Lucy's laughing faded as she stared up at Natsu's eye sparkling with its bright flames. His hands were still on her hips but neither of them moved. Their eyes were completely locked on one another and Natsu's head actually bent down to Lucy's height, making her think he would kiss her. She was completely caught off guard when his forehead came to rest against hers.

"I believe in you, Layla," he whispered. "I believe we're ready to do our show." Surprised by his words, Lucy stepped back to look Natsu in the eyes again.

"You're serious?" she asked, excitement fluttering in her stomach. Natsu nodded. "Oh, my gods! I can't believe we're finally ready to do it!"

"We'll have to tighten a few things up in the next two days but other than that, I think we'll be set," Natsu said.

"This is amazing! I can't wait to tell Cana and the others!" Lucy quickly started down the stairs to the stage and ran down the aisle towards the exit of the tent. On a sudden second thought, she spun around and looked back to Natsu.

"Natsu," she said, calling his attention back. "Thank you for believing in me." Natsu smiled and gestured for her to hurry and meet with their friends. When she had gone he moved around the stage, cleaning everything up with an aching heart. Though he was happy they had finished the routine and was ready to prove Gray wrong, one thought kept sounding through his mind.

 _It's almost over_.

 **A/N:** Don't forget to leave a review! I would love to hear from you guys, as always. P.S. I don't know why the Doc Manager isn't letting me make a separation between Lucy's POV & Natsu's, so I'm sorry for any confusion. I tried fixing it by just adding a line through the section so hopefully you'll be able to see it.


	20. Chapter 20 - The Moment You've All

**TO MY READERS:** I apologize for having taken so long _yet again_ to post this chapter. A lot has been going on lately and I haven't really had much time to write. However, this is the second to last chapter of this story! I hope you all enjoy it as I tried really hard to create Lucy and Natsu's performance. Hopefully, I will have the last chapter posted relatively soon since I already have a good majority of it written. Anyways, please enjoy this chapter and I will back very soon with the final installment of this story.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XX - The Moment You've All Been Waiting For...!**_

"Oh, Natsu, I don't know about this…" Lucy whispered nervously as she peered through the curtain out into the audience. Every person in the circus was invited to watch Lucy and Natsu's routine and though it only started in five minutes, some people were still streaming in. Lucy had felt calm and confident beforehand but now, seeing all the people seated on the benches, chatting away excitedly, her confidence turned to nervousness. What if she messed up her side aerial? After all, it did take a long time for her to master it. She could easily mess it up again. And what about the landing at the very end of the performance? Surely she could screw that up too. Her heart was beating so rapidly she felt like it would burst from her chest, her stomach was twisted in so many knots she thought she would throw up her breakfast, and the creases in her hands felt like rivers her palms were so sweaty.

 _Oh, gods! I don't know if I can do this! After all the work we put into it, I'm gonna end up messing it all up!_

"Hey," Natsu said, coming up behind Lucy to put his hand on her shoulder. She quickly spun around and let go of the curtain, staring at him with fear in her eyes.

"Natsu!" she whispered frantically. "I can't do this! We have to call off the show! I can't go out on stage with so many people watching me! I'll mess up, I'm sure of it! I'll trip or my side aerial won't turn out right and the spheres will burn a hole in the stage floor again. Please, Natsu, tell them I—I'm sick or something. I just can't go out there!" Panic suddenly gripping her, Lucy's breathing began picking up and Natsu stared at her, concerned.

"Hey, hey," he said, gripping her arms tightly. "It's gonna be alright, Layla."

"W—what if it's n—not," she stammered, desperately trying to catch her breath. Pulling her close and touching his forehead against hers, Lucy was forced to look directly into Natsu's eyes. As she stared into his serious expression, Lucy felt her heartbeat slow. Something about Natsu's confidence seemed to comfort her and she felt a bit more at ease as if his own assertiveness was rubbing off on her.

"We've been practicing this routine for so long and you've worked so hard. Don't let some silly fear get between you and that stage," he said. He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer, still gazing into her eyes as he spoke. "If the crowd is making you nervous, don't look at them. Just focus on me. It's like our practices; only you and me. Nobody else to watch us or bother us. It's only a dress rehearsal. It's only us out there." As Lucy started calming down, she allowed herself to stare at Natsu's ensemble: the only difference Lucy noticed from this first time she saw him perform was the black vest he now wore over his naked chest. The two sides had giants flames sewn into the fabric with the outlining of the fire bedazzled with orange and red diamonds that shimmered in the light, giving the illusion the flames were real. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail high atop his head but a few flyaway hairs still stuck out from the tight updo. They both looked like children of fire and they were absolutely breathtaking to behold.

"Layla! Natsu!" At the sound of Cana's voice, Natsu stepped away from Lucy. He turned and walked towards the back of the stage to greet their friend but Lucy remained in the wing. Her nerves were gone and she was no longer nervous. Natsu encouragement worked and she felt—no, she _knew_ —she could it. Standing up straight and tall with her chin held high, Lucy walked backstage to greet the small group of friends who had come to wish them luck.

"Layla!" gasped Levy when she stepped into the light. Everyone shifted their attention to take in Lucy's amazing costume and she even twirled to show it off. Nothing about it even felt like a costume she felt so comfortable in it. It was just like wearing regular clothes.

"You look amazing," Erza said with a smile. "I'm sure you and Natsu will do an amazing job." Gray snorted.

"He'll need a miracle to do a better job than me and Juvia," he laughed. Juvia nodded in approval of Gray's statement and Lucy came to stand beside Natsu.

"I wouldn't put money on that," she said, crossing her arms. "I think we've got your routine beat."

"Juvia and Gray-sama perform as one," Juvia blurted out. "Can you and Natsu-san say the same thing?" Natsu suddenly threw his arm around Lucy and tugged her to his side.

"Absolutely we can," he said. Lucy looked at him in shock. He still far more self-assured than she was but it radiated off of him and onto her. They needed to do well and show Gray they had a stellar performance. And they did have a showstopper. And they were going to do everything right.

"Well, we should probably get to our seats," Cana said. "Good luck, guys. Although I'm sure you don't need it." As everyone turned to leave, Cana spun around and winked at the two of them as well as giving them a thumbs up. Lucy returned to gesture and headed back to the right wing where she was to enter the stage.

"Hey," Natsu said, hanging onto her wrist. "You good?" Lucy looked straight into his eyes and nodded.

"I am now. Thank you," she said. Natsu nodded and they broke away, walking to their respective areas to start the routine.

Standing back in the wing, Lucy no longer felt nervous but excited. Everyone in the audience was waiting to see all the progress she and Natsu had made over the past week and a half. She wiggled out her arms and legs and rolled her neck around and around to loosen up. This was the moment she could shine.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the Master announced, silencing everyone in the crowd. "May I present to you the Fire Dancing Duo, Natsu and Layla!" The crowd erupted in cheers as Lucy and Natsu gracefully stepped out onto the stage and got into position, waiting for the music to start.

When the first note sounded, Lucy and Natsu began walking towards each other with the seriousness of two enemies going into battle. With their arms stretched behind their back, their movements were similar to that of tango dancers, slowly circling each other with their eyes glued to one another. Suddenly, as instructed, a fireball shot out from the backstage courtesy of Happy. Without breaking eye contact, Lucy raised her left arm and the sphere hovered over her open palm.

Stepping away from Natsu, Lucy bent forward and lifted her leg high over her head to perform a one-rotation illusion spin, tossing the fireball at Natsu. He quickly did three backflips and caught the ball with an outstretched arm after he lifted himself into a handstand. Happy then started throwing fireballs directly at Lucy until she was able to juggle the burning spheres. Natsu then threw his sphere high up in the air and flipped back up on his feet, catching the ball in his palm. Still juggling the spheres, Lucy waited until Natsu was firm on his feet before stretching her arms out to her sides to form a spinning circle with the flames. Balancing herself on her tiptoes, Lucy began spinning towards the middle of the stage where she carefully hovered the spinning circle in front of her and turned its opening to face Natsu. Preparing himself, Natsu bent in his knees deeply and broke into a sprint straight for the circle. A few inches in front of it, he launched himself right through it and tucked his knees to his chest so he was firmly set in a ball. Before Natsu fell on the ground, Lucy quickly reached out her arm and broke apart the circle so the spheres scattered and gathered haphazardly together.

As Natsu began descending back on the stage still hugging himself in the ball, Lucy directed the flames right underneath him as a net. She could hear some members of the audience gasping at the idea of the fire touching Natsu but Lucy smiled. Instead of going up in flames like the people in the crowd assumed he would, Natsu released his curled up position and extended his arms and legs as the spheres formed another circle around his frame. Though the bottom half of the spheres touched his back, Natsu was impervious to the heat with his fireproof vest and the appropriate garments protecting him from the flames. Gripping either side of the circle, Natsu flung his lower half backward to stand on the bottom of the spheres. Lucy commanded the flames to lift him higher into the air—almost twelve feet off the ground—and Natsu leaped out from the circle into a swan dive. As he grew closer to the stage, he quickly performed a front tuck to land back down on the wood, spreading out his arms to wait for the applause from the crowd.

Everyone clapped but they knew the show wasn't over yet. Lucy suddenly dropped her arms to her side and the spheres collapsed, falling down right where Natsu was standing. Bending himself backward onto his hands, he performed two backflips and stood up just in time to raise his arms above his head and catch the flames before they hit the floor. Once he had possession of the spheres, Natsu allowed them to float freely until Lucy was ready. Preparing herself for her side aerial, she took in a deep breath and chanced a glance out into the crowd. Her eyes found Cana immediately who was sitting at the front on the right side of the stage. Cana smiled and gave a slight nod, giving Lucy the last piece of encouragement she needed to finish out the show.

Lucy signaled Natsu with a small bob of her head and he created a line with the spheres that stretched from his right hand to his left. Lucy pointed her left foot out in front of her with her arms high above her head. Taking a deep breath, she ran to start her move and Natsu quickly moved in his position so he would be behind her as she performed the aerial. Just as she had taken off, Natsu guided the spheres around Lucy so she appeared almost on fire as she came down from the aerial. Upon landing, she once again had control of the sphere and hovered them over her head while her arms were still in the air from her landing. Spinning around on her right foot and leaning gracefully into her back, she slowly brought her arms down to her side so the spheres split evenly between her. Rising up from her spin and stopping her momentum with her left foot, Lucy shot her arms out forward so the spheres sped at Natsu in a stream of fire. Placing his right foot in front of him, he shoved his right arm out in front of him to stop the spheres from hitting him, causing the flames to space out around him as they halted.

Excited for the finale, Lucy waited patiently as Natsu formed the last circle of the program with the flames. He nodded to her and smiled at her widely. They were doing a fantastic job and this last segment would be the showstopper. Pointing her left foot out in front of her, Lucy ran at full speed toward the circle of fire Natsu had lifted about ten feet off the ground. Just as Natsu had done earlier, Lucy sprang up into the air and swan dove through the circle only to pull her arms up in an X at her chest to perform corkscrew she and Natsu had worked so hard on to perfect. When she finished with the corkscrew, Lucy stretched her arms out towards Natsu who lifted his arms up to her so their palms touched each other. Bending their elbows, Lucy and Natsu used their strength to propel her into a backflip which brought her back to the stage where she faced Natsu's back. Placing their right feet in front of them, they both pivoted towards the audience, signaling the end of their routine.

The audience erupted in cheer and Lucy gleamed, huffing and puffing. She glanced at Natsu who was already staring at her with a wide smile on his face. They had done it! They had done the routine in front of Gray and everyone and without a hitch! They were now the newest pair to Fairy Tail.

As the crowd continued to cheer them on, the Master came up to the stage with his arms behind his back. He walked toward Lucy who let her arms down and shook out her limbs, the nervousness giving way to pride and excitement.

"Layla," he began, smiling. "I have to say, I am very impressed. Though you were originally sentenced to our circus as a punishment, I can see you have created bonds here which will last a lifetime."

"Thank you, Master," Lucy said, bowing slightly.

"I think I speak for everyone here in Fairy Tail when I say we consider you a part of out family now." Lucy's eyes widened and she looked back to Natsu who was still smiling and gestured with his arm for her to continue listening to the Master. "Layla, if you so chose, I would be honored to make you an official member of Fairy Tail."

The Master finally brought his arms around to his front to reveal a large square stamper with the Fairy Tail insignia on the bottom of it. Lucy's heart jumped in her throat and she clutched her hands to her chest.

"Y—you really mean it?" she stammered, dumbstruck.

"Of course!" the Master shouted. "You're one of us now!" The crowd cheered again and Lucy felt tears brimming in her eyes. A hand fell upon her shoulder and she turned to see Natsu standing beside her.

"You earned it, Layla," he said. With the first of the tears trickling down her face, Lucy handed the back of her right hand to the Master. He pressed the stamper into her skin and pulled it away to reveal a large, pink Fairy Tail insignia. Delighted beyond words, Lucy clutched her right hand and stared in awe at the beautiful mark.

"Thank you! Thank you all so much! I—I truly love all of you!" she shouted. Everyone in the audience clappered and whooped again and Lucy smiled in spite of her tears.

"Now, let's celebrate!" the Master shouted. The tent erupted with excitement as everyone filed out towards the dining hall for booze and food. Cana, Erza, Levy, Wendy, Carla, Juvia, and Gray broke away from the crowd to meet Lucy and Natsu on the stage. They all exchanged hugs with the performers and gave their congratulations until Gray and Natsu squared off.

"So, what'd you think Slanty Eyes?" Natsu smirked. Gray growled under his breath but with a hard nudge from Erza, he admitted defeat.

"I guess I'm looking at my new partner for the summer!" Natsu laughed. Erza gave him a hard punch on top of the head for his gloating and the group laughed as he rubbed the bump.

"Congratulations, Lucy," Cana whispered in her ear. As everyone laughed and talked without them, Lucy and Cana stood apart, smiling.

"Are you planning on staying for real?" Cana asked.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world," Lucy said, staring lovingly at Natsu and the rest of her new friends as they shouted and jumped around him.

 _I've finally found the place where I belong_.

* * *

After she had changed from her costume and returned it to Kinana, Lucy and Cana joined everyone at the dining hall for the celebration. Lucy finally had found an occasion to wear the beautiful dress Cana had loaned her when she first started staying at the circus: the spaghetti-strapped, high-low dress with the interchanging colors of pink, blue, green, yellow, and orange. Whenever a gust of warm summer wind swept across the beach, the skirt of the dress billowed out behind her like a train and made her feel like a princess. Cana even took one of the flowers a young circus member gave her and gently stuck it in her wig. When they entered the tent and headed towards their group's table, Natsu's eyes found Lucy immediately and he couldn't help but gawk at her. She was stunning.

"There she is!" Levy shouted, announcing Lucy's arrival. Natsu stood up to offer his seat to her and she noticed he was still wearing his costume, though probably against Kinana's wishes.

"You look great," he whispered to her. She could only muster a slight shake of her head as she sat down. It was clear right away the table had already started on the booze as there were empty mugs and bottles scattered across the table as well as empty plates and dirty silverware. The dining hall was boisterous and almost too much for Lucy to handle from all the drunkards beginning to get rowdy. About ten minutes in, Natsu leaned into her ear and asked if she wanted to go to the beach. Sighing with relief, she agreed and took Natsu's hand as he helped her from the bench and out the tent.

They walked to the back of the camp as they had before to climb the fence, though Lucy was much shyer since she was now wearing a dress. Natsu laughed but Lucy ended up climbing up over the fence right after Natsu, landing in the soft, warm sand of the beach. They headed down to the shore and walked against the breeze that kept picking up Lucy's dress, making her even more modest. But Natsu seemed to be transfixed on the sunset beyond the sea.

He so desperately wanted her to tell him who she really was. Now would be a perfect time, too: after all, they had just performed their routine together seamlessly and she had become a member of Fairy Tail. But Cana's words prevented him from saying anything, so he kept his gaze on the sunset. Lucy could sense his feelings. She thought over and over again how she would tell him everything but finally decided to just come out and say it.

"Natsu," she began, calling his attention to her. She stared out ahead of them, careful not to look in his eyes for fear she wouldn't finish. "I have something I need to tell you. Something I should've told you a long time ago. I know you think I didn't trust you when I refused to tell you but it's not that at all. I do trust you, I always have. I've just needed the strength to come out and say it."

"I'm right here," Natsu said, still watching her.

"I—I'm not who you think I am…" she started.

"What do you mean?" Natsu interrupted, already confused.

"My name isn't really Layla, it's just a pseudonym."

"A—a what?" Natsu asked, clearly embarrassed from not knowing the meaning of the word. Frustrated that he wasn't letting her finish, Lucy yelled out the answer.

"It's a fake name! My name isn't Layla!"

"Then what is it?!" Natsu asked, angry.

"It's Lucy Heartfilia." But Lucy wasn't the one who had responded to him. Natsu and Lucy quickly spun around to see four mysterious men standing behind them. "Isn't it?"

"Y—you…" Lucy stammered. Before she could get the words out, the men lunged at the both of them, one grabbing Lucy and two restraining Natsu who had been attempting to unsheathe his hidden dagger. It fell into the sand as he tried to fight off the men and Lucy began screaming as one of the bigger men wrapped his arm around Natsu's neck.

"No, stop it, please! Please!" Lucy kicked and flailed against her own assailant who's big burly arms were wrapped around her body so tightly she could barely breathe.

"Natsu!" she screamed, feeling her throat ripping apart as she watched him start falling from the loss of oxygen and the strength of the men.

"Alright, alright, men," the leader said. "I think he's lost his strength to fight now." Lucy and Natsu were both panting heavily from their efforts to get away from the men and the leader began walking around his lackeys and the two of them.

"We've met before, haven't we?" the leader asked Lucy, lifting her face up to his by her chin. "And this is you, isn't it?" He reached into his long, black trench coat and pulled out the missing person flyer with Lucy's face plastered across it. She swallowed hard: these were the men that came to the circus a few days ago, except they were now armed with one additional man. They were planning on taking her back to her father.

"I have to say, you did have us fooled for a little while," the leader continued, shoving the flyer back in his jacket. "I didn't ever think a girl like you would be clever enough to wear a wig and go by a different name after having escaped home. But I'm sure you know why we're here."

"My father hired you," Lucy stated. The leader laughed and folded his arms over his large chest.

"You _are_ a smart girl for someone so filthy rich," he replied. "I couldn't believe the amount of money your father was willing to pay to get you back but after he told us about your engagement, I figured out pretty easily why he wanted you back so badly. He's just planning to sell you off for land and family money. To be perfectly honest, I feel bad for you, I really do. But it's not my place to judge people and how they run their households. My job is just to find people and it's complete for today."

Lucy lowered her head to face the sand when she heard Natsu grumbling and writhing beneath the grip of the other men. The leader sighed and whipped around to him, walking to stand in front of him.

"Y—you…" Natsu began.

"Ah, yes. _You_. Natsu Dragneel, the famed Fire Breather or whatever the hell it is you do," the leader said, yanking Natsu up by his hair. Lucy whimpered in protest but the leader wouldn't listen.

"I've heard about you," the man hissed. "I dug up your files all the way from Magnolia. You know how hard it was to find all of your people's documents? Cost me a pretty jewel but I'm sure Ms. Heartfilia's father will replenish that in spades."

"You can't just _take_ her," Natsu growled. "She's part of Fairy Tail now." The leader let out a laugh and Lucy felt the tears falling down her face. It was all over.

"Of course I can! She's a _Heartfilia_ , sonny. Do you have any idea what that means?" But Natsu wasn't looking at the leader anymore. He was staring at Lucy for answers now.

"Layla…" he said, his voice raspy from being nearly strangled to death. "What are they talking about?" Her eyes blurry with tears, Lucy struggled against the man again who clutched her even tighter against him.

"Unhand me! Unhand me this instant or I will have my father told about this mistreatment immediately!" Lucy shouted. The leader sighed but waved his hand for his henchman to let Lucy go. She fell into the sand but slowly stood up, her hand on the back of her head where the wig's lining was.

"I'm not who you think I am," she said again, finally meeting Natsu's eyes. Unclipping the wig and pulling back both it and the hairnet, Lucy let her blonde hair fly around her in the wind. Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief and he gawked at her like he didn't know who she was now.

"My real name is Lucy Heartfilia, heir to the Heartfilia family fortune and the Heartfilia Konzern. Layla was my mother's name and I took it when I ran away from home to see the circus. Everything I've told you about me has been a lie and the only two people who knew the truth were Cana and the Master who found after these morons showed up with my wanted poster."

"Watch it girlie," the leader said through gritted teeth. "You never know what could happen to a pretty girl like you on your way back home." At that, Natsu punched and kicked the two men still pinning him down until the angry leader pulled out his gun and brought it down on Natsu's head.

"No!" Lucy shrieked as Natsu fell unconscious.

"Oh, don't get your royal panties in a twist," the leader said, sheathing his gun again. "He's only unconscious. The most he'll have when he wakes up is a bruised head holding his nonexistent brain." With tears in her eyes, Lucy clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. Hating the lowly scoundrels her father had chosen to find her. They most likely didn't even work for the police department. They were probably some lowlife scumbags Jude had found for a steal compared to a real detective.

"You monsters will pay for this," Lucy growled.

"For what? Beating up the ninny who was clearly impeding our orders to bring you home safely? Please. Your father couldn't care less about what could happen to this boy," the leader proclaimed smugly. "Cash is king, sweetheart. And don't you forget it. Cuff her." The man standing behind her obeyed the leader's order and placed Lucy's wrists into a pair of cold, silver handcuffs. She felt enraged but also weak. She wanted to fight, to carry Natsu and run back to the circus to report the men, but she knew it was useless. She had no power. These men would do anything to get the money her father promised them for finding her.

She had no other choice.

"Alright, let's get the hell outta here," the leader grumbled, kicking up the sand. "I hate the beach." The man behind Lucy gave her a shove to head back up towards the town where a car most likely waited for them. The group slowly trudged away, leaving Natsu unconscious in the sand and Lucy's wig blowing away in the wind.

 **A/N:** Don't forget to leave a comment! Thank you and I truly appreciate every single one of you!


	21. Chapter 21 - A Proper Goodbye

**TO MY READERS:** Well, here it is! The last chapter of _Love Amongst the Stars_! I cannot thank you all enough for being so amazingly supportive of this story. I can't believe I actually finished this and I owe it all to every single one of you guys. And, as I have said before, I hope you all chose to stick around for the other stories I have in mind. It has really meant the world to mean that you guys have decided to share this journey with me and I would really love for you all to be here for the next one. Rant over, okay? I love you all and here's the final chapter.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **XXI - A Proper Goodbye**_

The carriage the men had Lucy escorted in stopped at the front of the Heartfilia Mansion. Looking at the floor, Lucy refused to look up once her door was opened by one of the men. He attempted to let her get out herself but when she refused to move, he grabbed her arm and pulled her from the carriage. Her hands cuffed behind her, she struggled to regain her balance after being yanked on her feet so harshly.

"Lucy!" Her head snapped up from the ground at the sound of her name. Standing in front of the mansion's giant doors was Ms. Spetto with a few of the other servants standing beside her. At the sight of Lucy, Ms. Spetto rushed down the cement stairs to meet her and the men.

"Lucy, dear," she gushed, taking in Lucy's frazzled expression. Her blonde hair was messy from the wind, sand, and ocean mist blown into it from the breeze. Her eyes were still puffing from her tears and she was slumped in on herself like a real prisoner. It made Ms. Spetto's heart hurt.

"Take these damned handcuffs off her!" she commanded the men.

"I'm sorry, but we only take orders from Mr. Heartfilia," the leader of the men said, snapping his fingers for his goons to guide Lucy into the mansion. Ms. Spetto stepped in front of the men, blocking their way. She stared up at them with angry eyes and they looked slightly terrified of the old woman, despite her size.

"Mr. Heartfilia is busy making last minute arrangements for the wedding tomorrow. I have been instructed to retrieve Lucy. Now, release her this instant." The leader grumbled but nodded his head for the man behind Lucy to grab the key. Once the cold metal was removed from her wrists, Lucy began rubbing the red flesh.

"You're free to go," the man behind her said, giving her another rough push right into Ms. Spetto's arms.

"Where're the jewels?" the leader demanded. Clutching Lucy tightly to her small frame, Ms. Spetto glared angrily at the rude man.

"Mr. Heartfilia did not give me anything. And I'm sure there will be a fairly large reduction in your reward when he finds out about the mistreatment of his daughter," she hissed.

"Listen, you old hag!" the leader shouted. "We did our job. We got your precious princess and now we'd like to be paid. Go talk to the man himself and tell him we want our money. _Now_." Not wanting to further anger the delinquents, Ms. Spetto turned to one of the servants and nodded for them to send for Mr. Heartfilia.

A short while later, the front doors of the mansion swung outward and Jude Heartfilia stepped outside with the servants beside him, hands behind his back. He stepped down the stairs and the demeanor of the men immediately changed in the presence of such a powerful man. Jude came to stand next to Ms. Spetto and Lucy who was now shaking from seeing her father. She had no idea how angry he might be and she was not eager to find out. He stared at the men for a few moments before glancing down to his daughter and Ms. Spetto.

"Are you unharmed?" he asked Lucy. Too terrified to answer, Ms. Spetto spoke up for her.

"For the most part. These men handcuffed her like she was a prisoner!" she hollered, shifting her eyes to the group.

"She resisted us," the leader said, shrugging his shoulders. Jude scrutinized the men but reached inside his coat pocket where he retrieved a heavy sack of jewels. Tossing it to the men, the leader hungrily caught it, gripping it tightly to his chest.

"Leave," Jude thundered. A chill shivered up and down Lucy's spine at his tone, knowing it all too well. The men quickly retreated into their carriage and sped off. Jude sighed and shook his head, staring down at Lucy again.

"You see the ne'er-do-wells I had to hire in order to bring you back here?" he asked her furiously. With her right hand in full view of her father, Jude's eye was drawn immediately to the Fairy Tail emblem. He sneered. "What filth have you been living in for the past two weeks to make you think a _tattoo_ is making of a wife and mother?" Lucy glanced self-consciously at the insignia and quickly brought her arm behind her back.

"Ms. Spetto," Jude said.

"Yes, sir?"

"Make sure my daughter is wearing a pair of gloves to cover that hideous mark," he stated. "I don't want Duke Sawarr to discard of her." Ms. Spetto simply nodded and Jude spun on his heels, heading back into the mansion. The doors were kept open until Lucy, Ms. Spetto, and the rest of the servants were ready. Looking down at Ms. Spetto with wet eyes, Lucy's lip began quivering as she fell into sobs. Ms. Spetto held onto her, wrapping her arms around Lucy's shaking body as much as she could.

 _Welcome home…_

* * *

"So it's true?!" Silence was Natsu's answer as he stood in the Master's office with Cana and the rest of the gang. After waking up with a pounding headache on the beach, Natsu rushed to tell the Master and the others about Layla— _Lucy's_ —kidnapping. But he needed to know everything that the Master and Cana knew.

"Tell me!" Natsu shouted, banging his fist on the desk, making everyone jump.

"Yes, it's true," the Master admitted. "Lucy Heartfilia was staying here under the alias of Layla. When we sentenced her to staying with the circus, her father must've sent out a search party for her. Apparently, she's the only heiress to the entire Heartfilia line so her father must've spared no expense in finding her."

"And you knew all this time?" Natsu asked, turning his anger to Cana who sat in the chair behind him. "Of the danger she was in?"

"She swore me to secrecy," Cana said, raising her arms in surrender. "I couldn't betray her trust like that. Plus, who knew those stooges would've ambushed you guys." Natsu's fist tightened on Lucy's wig and his anger seethed.

"We have to go after her," he said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Cana asked. "If Lucy really meant all that trouble to her father, he would throw all of us in jail for trying to break her out. There's nothing we can do, Natsu. It's over."

"It's not over until I say it's over!" Natsu shouted again. He was so enraged; not just at Lucy but at himself. He wasn't strong enough to stop those men from taking her. He could've fought harder and protected her but he fell short. And now she was gone.

Unless they did something.

"Natsu," Erza began, coming up beside him. "Lay—I mean, Lucy, meant a lot to all of us. But we can't just barge into this man's home and demand he relinquish his own daughter. It's not going to happen. We have to think logically about this." Fire seething from his glare, even Erza was taken aback by it as Natsu stared her down.

"She's my partner," he hissed.

"She's a Heartfilia first, Natsu," Cana said, standing from her seat. "I'm telling you, doing something to bring her back will only make things worse for her and us. From what she's told me her father is relentless. Even if we did manage to get her out of there, he would stop at nothing to bring her home. He's not someone to screw around with, I've heard." Needing to wake off his rage, Natsu threw Lucy's wig down on the desk and stalked out of the office, leaving everyone shocked in his wake. Cana instantly followed after him, slamming the door behind her.

"Natsu," she called after him, jogging down the steps. "Natsu!" He continued to saunter away, stomping in the sand with hands clenched in fists. "Have those flames affected your hearing as well as your brain?! Stop!" Huffing, Natsu turned around to Cana who was running towards him. She stopped only inches from him and grabbed him by his vest.

"You never _think_ before you _do_!" she shouted. "You think you're the only one who misses her? That you're the only one who wished you could've stopped those guys from taking her away? She was my friend, too! I loved her! You are not the only one!" Shocked at her raised voice, Natsu met Cana's teary eyes and realized how selfish he was being. She was right. As usual.

Sighing, Cana released his vest and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I wish I had been then with you guys," she whispered. "I wish I could've seen it coming, but I didn't." Then she looked back up at him. "But we need you, Natsu. If you go marching in there, they will have you arrested. _We_ need you. If Lucy really wants to be a part of Fairy Tail, to be with us, it's all up to her now. Do you understand me?"

Though his anger was still there, it wasn't as prominent now. He knew what Cana was saying was true. If he got arrested, it would be anyone's guess how long he'd be there. The circus needed him; _Fairy Tail_ needed him.

It would have to be all Lucy now.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy lay in her bed, dreading the day before her. She had been unable to sleep all night despite her long shower and her own clean clothes. She stared at the wall across from her bed, a sickening feeling rolling around in her stomach.

In just a few hours, she would become the wife of a grotesque Duke simply for the sake of keeping the Heartfilia family line a rich one. She wasn't marrying for love. She was marrying for money and she hated it so terribly, she wanted to spit or scream or fight.

But that wasn't the making of a young woman. She was to be trapped in a world of refinement and it was killing her. Unless she did something.

Breaking her gaze from the clean, white wall, Lucy shifted her eyes down to the Fairy Tail mark and smiled. She still had another home to run to. She still had a place other than this suffocating place she once called home before her mother passed. Fairy Tail was scheduled to leave Acalypha that afternoon. If Lucy could figure something out in time, she could still escape. There was still time.

A knock came on her door.

"Come in," Lucy said, throwing her covers to the side and sitting on the edge of the bed. Ms. Spetto entered the room with a tray of breakfast items, attempting to comfort Lucy with a smile.

"Good morning, my dear," she said, walking over to Lucy as she stretched. "I've brought something light for you to eat before today. I figured you wouldn't be terribly hungry giving the events." Lucy nodded as Ms. Spetto laid the tray on her lap. Looking down at the tray, Lucy saw a bowl of fresh cut fruit, a plate of toast, and some cooked sausage. It was such a sharp contrast to the greasy food everyone at Fairy Tail was used to eating. She forced herself to eat some fruit despite her nausea.

"How are you feeling?" Ms. Spetto asked. Lucy avoided answering to question by shoveling more fruit into her mouth. Ms. Spetto sighed and patted Lucy's knee. "Whatever you chose, I will stand behind you. But I urge you to follow your heart. Your mother would've wanted that for you." Ms. Spetto stood up and headed back for the door.

"The seamstresses and I will be back in another hour to get you ready. Hopefully, you'll have made your decision by then." Staring at her food, Ms. Spetto left the bedroom and closed the door, leaving Lucy alone again with her thoughts.

* * *

After an hour and a half of primping and pampering, Lucy stood in front of her full-length mirror, the picture of a wife-to-be. But her heart felt so heavy, it was sickening.

"Thank you, ladies," Lucy said, trying her best to sound sincere. The two maids and Ms. Spetto stepped to her sides, the young girls smiling proudly at their handiwork. Ms. Spetto on the other hand only looked serious, a sharp contrast to the giddiness shared between the young maids.

"That will be all," Lucy said to send the maids on their way. The girls smiled and headed out the door, closing it shut behind them. Ms. Spetto was the only one who remained.

Before Lucy said anything, she took a good look at herself in her full-body mirror. Her long, blonde hair was tied messy but tasteful braid bun adorned with blue butterfly hairpins. The veil she had hanging behind her was very plain with only a few diamonds skirting the edges. When her eyes came at last to her dress, Lucy thought if it weren't for the occasion, she would have loved the gown she wore.

In her absence, Jude Heartfilia asked Ms. Spetto to choose the dress Lucy would wear on her wedding day. And she had chosen very well. The lace collar dipped down into a V-neck and from the low neckline, bell-styled sleeves came down to just above Lucy's wrists, the ends folding over each other elegantly. The bodice was snug and tight-fitting, giving her a nice figure as the V-shaped waist led down to a large, gorgeous skirt. On top of the soft silk cover underneath the bottom of the dress, the skirt was decorated with lace flowers which fanned out on the top and grew in abundance towards the train.

Lucy found she was in love with the dress. But she hated the reason for which she was wearing it.

"Ms. Spetto?" she asked, stroking the pink Fairy Tail emblem on her right hand. It was the only thing offering her strength she so desperately needed.

"Yes, Lucy?" she replied, looking sad for her.

"I need to speak to my father," she said.

"Of course," Ms. Spetto replied. She knew what was about to happen between the father and daughter she loved so much. And she knew she shouldn't stand in Lucy's way. Ms. Spetto took a moment before nodding her head and offered her hand to Lucy to help her down from the raised platform. She opened the door to the bedroom and escorted her down the hallway.

Standing in front of the towering door to her father's study, Lucy had to breathe deeply in order to calm her nerves. _I can't back out of this now,_ she thought. _This is my future. I refuse to live my life in misery like him._ Finally having built up the courage, Lucy raised her right fist, stared at the insignia and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" bellowed Jude Heartfilia.

"It's me, father," Lucy replied. Her father was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

"Enter."

Sliding her arm out from Ms. Spetto's Lucy pushed the doors open. It had been years since Lucy learned not to go inside her father's office but she found very little had changed. The large, mahogany desk sat in front of a large bay window looking over the entire estate and each wall bore a bookshelf. Though the room seemed incredibly vast, Lucy felt like she was trapped in a very small closet.

"Lucy," her father said, half-sitting on the edge of his desk. His arms were crossed over his chest, his face contorted in confusion and impatience. "You do realize your wedding ceremony commences in just about five minutes, do you not?"

"Yes, I am aware," she said, surprised at how sturdy her voice was.

"Don't you think the Duke has been waiting on you long enough?" Despite the harshness of his tone, Lucy refused to be swayed into walking back out the doors and towards a future she had no say in.

"Father," she began. "I came here to first tell you I'm truly sorry for what happened. My intention was not to run away and I apologize for that."

"Lucy, there is no time for this," her father said sternly. But Lucy gave no pause.

"The second thing I wanted to talk to you about concerns my marriage," she continued. "There isn't going to be one." Her father's face showed his shock but Lucy went on.

"Ever since mother died you've been cold and reclusive as if you were the only one who lost someone that day. But I lost more than a mother. I lost my best friend and the only woman figure I had in my life. A piece of me died with her that day.

"I needed you to be there when she passed. You were supposed to help me but you were gone! You locked yourself up in your own grief and sorrow and neglected me, your only child!" As her anger rose, Lucy felt her throat closing and her eyes brimming with tears. But she forced herself on.

"For a while, I just wanted to give up. To go be with my mom again who I knew loved me. But Ms. Spetto guided me through such a difficult time. She was there when you weren't! And for that, I am forever grateful to her." Lucy stopped a moment to clear her throat and her father suddenly found his own voice.

"Lucy Heartfilia, this is no time for your _pity party_! You will get married today and there is nothing more to discuss." Jude shot up from her desk and marched towards his daughter, grabbing her arm and twisting her around forcefully towards the door. Stuck in his grip, Lucy tried to yank away from her father and dug her white heels into the carpet.

"Lucy!" Her father's voice resounded throughout the large room and Lucy felt the red hot pain of her father's hand on her face. His hand loosened around her wrist as she recoiled from the slap, falling all the way back to the desk behind her. Sniffling and trying to ease the pain with her cold hand, Lucy's wet eyes met her father's astonished face. Even he was surprised at his action.

"I may be sorry for escaping during the ball, but I don't regret staying with the circus for so long," she said, straightening herself up and bringing her arms down to her side. She wanted to red handprint on her face to show. "I loved it there! I was able to make friends and even find a family. It may seem strange to find a family in such an odd place but it's a much more compassionate one than ours. I love my new family. I love Fairy Tail! They gave me the courage to live when I thought I couldn't stand to be on this earth anymore!

"So now I'm here, standing in front of you to let you know I'm leaving. For good this time. I'm going to join Fairy Tail and become part of their circus. They're my family now and I'm going to live the rest of my life with them." Taking a rattled breath, Lucy smiled despite the sharp pain she felt on her cheek.

"I wanted to let you know this because I didn't want you to look for me again. Once I leave for the circus, I am no longer your responsibility. There'll be no need for you to look for me anymore."

"Lucy…"

"Father," she interrupted, looking at Jude with pleading eyes. "If you every thought about what's best for _me_ , this is it. I would never be happy living this life you've picked out for me. My future is something I need to find for myself." Sighing, Lucy raised her hand up to her veil and carefully removed it from her hair. Laying it out across her arms, she walked back towards her father and looked up to him, stretching her arms out to him for him to take it. Glancing back and forth between his daughter and the veil, Jude finally reached out his arms for Lucy to place it in his hands.

"It's not my time yet, father," she said, her eyes sparkling with tears and affection. For the first time, Jude looked at Lucy the way he was always meant to see her. She had grown into such a beautiful, smart, and confident young woman. He had missed out on raising that woman. His eyes fell then on the already bruising handprint he'd left on her beautiful face. He felt his own eyes fill with tears for having raised a hand to his own daughter and her placed his hand on Lucy's other cheek.

"Your mother would be so proud of you," he whispered. Lucy choked out a laugh and leaned into her father's palm.

"I love you, papa. I always have and I always will," she said, her left hand covering her father's. "Thank you." Gently pulling her father's hand off her cheek, Lucy stepped around him and headed towards the door to leave.

When Lucy came back out from the study, she expected to see Ms. Spetto waiting for her. To her relief, the old woman wasn't standing on the other side. _She's probably trying to create a diversion_ , she thought to herself. Walking down the hallway, Lucy returned to her room and began moving quickly. She retrieved the two suitcases from her closet and began packing only the clothes she believed were fit to wear outside of the Heartfilia estate. Not wanting to leave without saying goodbye, Lucy grabbed a piece of stationary from her dressing table and wrote only what she needed to say.

Laying out her wedding dress on her bed with the note placed atop it, Lucy gathered her belongings and headed to the front doors. Stepping outside, she called for a carriage to take her to Acalypha once again. The driver headed her orders to get her there as quickly as possible as she leaned into the backseat with her luggage. Unable to keep her eyes straight ahead, Lucy found herself swiveling in her seat to take one last look at her old home. She expected to feel guilty about leaving her father all alone, but she knew their resolution would be enough. She had to believe he would be alright.

As her carriage trotted further and further away, Lucy missed seeing her father staring after her from his study's large windows. In his right hand, he still clutched the veil.

* * *

Once the tall gate securing the circus had been dismantled, all of Fairy Tail started collecting a few last-minute possessions. Everything was set and ready for the trip back to Magnolia, all the trailers having been attached to their respective vehicles. Natsu was the only one who stood at the edge of the beach, staring down at the ocean as he recalled his last few moments with Lucy.

"Natsu." Cana had come to stand next to him, staring out at the sea as well. "We've gotta go," she said in a melancholic voice, glancing at him.

"She'll be back. She has to come back," he said, wanting to wait a few moments longer. Cana sighed.

"I know how you feel. I miss her, too, Natsu, but we've gotta get moving," she said. Natsu slowly turned to Cana with sad eyes.

"Can't we wait a little while longer? What if she comes back and we're not here?" Cana felt her heart break at Natsu's despair. But she knew Lucy wouldn't be returning.

"I'm sorry, Natsu."

"I just wish she was coming back," he said. Cana sighed again and clamped a hand on his shoulder.

"Me, too, Natsu. Me, too. C'mon, we have to get going." Gently pulling on him, Natsu reluctantly turned around to head towards the vehicles.

"Natsu!" Natsu and Cana's head moved around slowly to the sound and saw a carriage rushing towards them. Lucy was hanging out one of the windows, waving to them vehemently. The driver stopped and Lucy hurriedly rushed out with her luggage, running to an astonished Natsu.

 _She's actually here,_ he thought. And by the gods, he just couldn't ignore how beautiful she looked. Her short black hair he remembered was now replaced with her natural blonde hair which was tied up with blue pins. And her simple pink dress ruffled in the wind as she sprinted towards him, making her seem almost celestial; completely otherworldly.

"I was hoping I would catch you guys," she said. Cana smiled and back up, watching excitedly as the events unfolded in front of her.

"What about your marriage?" Natsu asked, trying not to get his hopes up.

"It's been postponed," she replied, grinning mischievously.

"Lucy," he said, stepping towards her. Her breath caught in her throat at how close Natsu had gotten and his eyes widened when he saw the bruising hand mark on her cheek.

"It's okay," Lucy said. "I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere." Natsu smiled and held out his hand.

"Then what are you waiting for?" he asked. "Welcome home, Lucy." With a smile and happy tears in her eyes, Lucy laid her hand into Natsu's as he guided her to her bright, new future.

* * *

 _Dear Ms. Spetto,_

 _I'm finally following my heart._

 _Thank you for everything and I love you._

 _-Lucy_


	22. Epilogue

**TO MY READERS:** Hello, lovelies! Since I finished writing _Love Amongst the Stars_ , a lot of you have been asking for an extra chapter or epilogue. So, I've decided to grant your wish and upload an epilogue to this story! I hope you all enjoy it and please don't forget to leave a review to let me know what you think. I'd also like the announce I am currently working on a brand new _Fairy Tail_ AU which I plan on uploading sometime next week. So, if you haven't already subscribed, please do so so you'll get a notification when the new story is posted! Thank you all again for your love and support! Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.

 _ **Epilogue - Heading Home**_

It had been a few weeks since Lucy left everything behind to join Fairy Tail. Her name, her money, the Duke, and her father. Everything was gone now, but she had never been happier in her entire life. It didn't seem to matter to her now that she had no money or the big fancy property everyone in Acalypha gushed about when staring up at the mountains that lead to the Heartfilia Konzern. All that mattered now was Fairy Tail…and Natsu.

While traveling from town to town and staying with him in his trailer, Lucy told him everything. It felt so good to finally be honest with him without worrying about being hunted down. Though she was still afraid he would be angry with her for keeping her identity a secret for so long, he was surprisingly understanding. She also told him what happened when she left the day of her wedding. Though her heart still ached for her father, she knew he would be alright. But a small piece of her did hope she had been honest with him sooner. Maybe then, they could've parted on better terms.

Nonetheless, Lucy was still ecstatic to finally be a true member of Fairy Tail.

Now, laying on the roof of Natsu's trailer with a blanket underneath them, Lucy enjoyed the comforting silence of his company as they gazed up at the sunset. The circus had stopped the for the night at Shirotsume, a town only a day away from Magnolia. They would all soon be home and they could finally relax and enjoy the rest of the summer to themselves. Which meant Lucy could watch more sunsets with Natsu.

And the one they witnessed that night was probably the most beautiful of the season. The very top of the sky was a dark purple which slowly faded down into pink and then orange where the sun was drifting down into the horizon. With Natsu's arm draped around her, Lucy felt at true peace.

Ever since she had opened up to him, Natsu began showing more and more affection towards her as they had been traveling. It was clear he was no longer afraid of getting his heart broken. And Lucy loved it. It was in the tiniest gestures, the smallest words in which Natsu expressed his feelings towards her. To anyone else they might mean nothing; but Lucy, they meant the world. And being alone were the memories Lucy cherished most. Just sitting or lying next to him in silence was enough.

"I have to admit," Natsu said, jerking Lucy out of her reverie, "calling you 'Lucy' now is going to be kinda of hard. I'm so used to Layla." Lucy giggled and turned her head to face Natsu who was still staring up at the sky.

"I'll probably respond to either," she said. "I think everyone will find it difficult as well."

"I do think 'Lucy' fits you better, though," Natsu said, turning his head to face her. She blushed and smiled, tilting her head down to avoid meeting his eyes.

"So, I guess Gray will be taking my place next summer in our routine, right?" she asked, slowly bringing her eyes back up to his. Natsu laughed and shook his head.

"A bet is a bet," he agreed. "Maybe if he begs enough, I'll let him off easy."

"You're terrible, Natsu," Lucy said, shaking her head.

A few more minutes of silence passed between the two as they continued to watch the sky change different colors. Eventually, the sun fell and the stars began spotting the black abyss above them and the moon gradually appeared as well. Yawning, Lucy sat up and stretched her arms over her head. Natsu soon followed suit, his hand behind her to massage her back in slow, soothing circles.

"You tired?" he asked. Lucy nodded her head, murmuring a reply. Suddenly, as she stared up at the sky, she noticed something fly across the heavens. Her eyes widened and she scrambled up on her feet to get a better look.

"Did you see that?" Tilting her head upwards, Lucy waited to see if she could catch it.

"See what?" Leaning forward, Natsu tried to bring Lucy back down but she wanted to see it again—whatever it was. Then, two more orange streaks zipped across the stars.

"That!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up and down and pointing to the sky. Natsu stood up, too, amazed as more and more objects flew over the horizon.

Immediately, the sky seemed to go up in flames as meteors flew down and Lucy's heart raced. Never before had she seen a shooting star _or_ a meteor shower, though her mother always wanted her to see one. At that thought, her heart broke and she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Layla had drawn and calculated the shooting stars she had witnessed as a young girl but she hadn't been fortunate enough to see a meteor shower. Despite all her research to try and pinpoint the exact day when one would occur, Layla and Lucy had never been able to catch one.

But here was Lucy, standing on top of a trailer in Shirotsume, witnessing the most magical moment of her life. A moment she should've been able to share with her mother. As the meteors soared through the sky, Lucy couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. Needing his touch, she slowly reached out her hand to Natsu's and held on tightly. Taking his eyes away from the shower, he glanced at her and saw the tears.

"Lucy?! Are you okay?" he asked, standing in front of her now. Glancing down to meet his eyes, she let out a small cry before collapsing against him.

"I just wish she was here to see this," she said. It took Natsu a while to think of who Lucy was talking about but when he realized, he simply held her tighter to his chest and stroked her long, blonde hair.

"It's okay," he whispered. "She's here. Even if you can't see her, she's always with you." By the time Lucy finished crying, the last of the meteors fell and the night sky faded black again. Wiping her eyes, Lucy looked back up at Natsu who brushed some of her hair away from her face.

"You okay now?" he asked. With a small smile, Lucy nodded.

"Thank you," she replied.

"I'm always here," he said. Overwhelmed by so many emotions, Lucy couldn't stop the words from passing her lips.

"Natsu…" she whispered. "Kiss me."

He didn't seem surprised by the command. Instead, he tilted her heads upwards and gently placed his lips against hers. The fire that ignited between them made both hungry for more. Natsu pressed his lips harder against Lucy's and she felt a wonderful warmth flow through her. She couldn't believe how long they had waited for this moment.

Pulling away, Natsu touched his forehead against hers and sighed. Eyes still closed, Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest. She wanted nothing more than to stay on top of the trailer like that forever, embracing Natsu just as she was.

"C'mon," he said, scooping her up in his arms and jumping down from the trailer roof. Lucy let out a gasp but upon landing started giggling. Natsu carefully let her down and kissed the top of her forehead. "Bed?" Suddenly exhausted again, Lucy nodded.

"Bed," she replied. Holding each other's hands, the two walked up to the door and entered the trailer.

 _Tomorrow, we'll finally be home_.


End file.
